Two Neils Tie

A light shower had moistened the wicket shortly before the start of play and the Arundel seam pairing of Neil Mustard and Steve Mullen were quickly on top.

Mullen made the breakthrough in the eighth over, forcing the nervous-looking Peter Suttle to edge one to Ian Wadey at slip, and then Mustard claimed the first of his trio by having Steve Gaylor caught by Mark Barry.

Opener Andy Rayland then paid a heavy price for missing out a full-toss from Mullen and was bowled round his legs for 22, and disaster well and truly came to visit when Mullen made it three with Joel Wiles taking a chance at short-leg from Chris Bird.

The introduction of Neil Chitty to the Arundel attack is always a critical moment and he didn t have to wait long for his first scalp, when Simon Wilkinson was forced into offering a catch to Mustard, which he easily held.

Jeff Scarfield had come in by this stage and in the space of an over had cover-driven Mullen both along the floor and over the top to the rope, while Matt Sheppard had decided to swipe at Chitty.

He managed to stick one over to the mid-wicket fence, but then holed out to Ian Jays on the boundary going for a repeat performance.

Goring captain Clive Moore then teamed up with Scarfield and, while Moore nibbled around, Scarfield went on the attack.

In successive balls he hit Chitty for fours through square leg (twice) and mid-off, but then the wily left-arm spinner tempted Moore to hole out to Mullen at long-on.

Mustard finished the innings off, clean bowling Scarfield for 43 and Lee Hayward.

Arundel lost Mullen to a needless run-out and Wiles, first ball to a Hayward yorker, with just six on the board, and Wadey was out for 22 soon afterwards. However, a stand of 80 between Ryan Chitty (42 including eight fours) and Richard Diplock (55 not out with 12 boundaries) made certain of Arundel s second straight win.