Sub-standard Bexhill sink to defeat

The Polegrove club came up 74 runs shy of a modest victory target set by Stirlands and they've now dropped from first to sixth in the space of a fortnight.

Captain Chris Topp said: "We did really well to restrict them to 164 all out and I would have backed our team to get the runs nine times out of 10. It was just one of those days, but to be bowled out for under 100 is very disappointing.

"I think it was down to poor batting really. The wicket wasn't great, but it was more a case of people getting themselves out. There was maybe a lack of application by one or two guys and it just wasn't good enough really."

The Bexhill innings got off to the worst possible start when Hamish Russell was sent back to the pavilion for a duck.

Things went from bad to worse for the home side because Jeremy Wassell, Richard May, Richard Harrison, Steve Phillimore and Ian Ellis scored only 20 between them.

Aussie Josh McLean was the sole member of the top six to reach double figures, but when he was trapped leg before by Danny Cox for 30, Bexhill's fading hopes of victory were effectively extinguished.

Topp (16) and Simon Bulteel, who struck a six and a four in a typically aggressive 11, offered some resistance in the lower order, but they too fell victim to the in-form Cox.

The Stirlands paceman, who plundered 7-18 to skittle Sidley for a meagre 44 on the opening day of the campaign last month, finished with the impressive figures of 6-28 from 9.4 overs as Bexhill were dismissed for 91.

Just to add to Bexhill's frustration, their tale of woe with the bat came straight after they had done so well to fight their way into such a strong position with the ball.

Stirlands had begun their innings in decent fashion with each of the top five batsmen reaching double figures. Nick Hunt and Richard Thelwell did rather better than that by going on to compile 55 and 30 respectively.

But Ellis (6-55) and Topp (3-37) briefly altered the complexion of the match as none of the final six Stirlands batsmen scored more than eight. Bulteel (1-31) took the other wicket, that of opener Tim Robinson (19).