Steyning sit in the Division 2 relegation zone and are 17 points behind third-bottom St James. Sidley are winless in their 11 matches, of which nine have been defeats, and Steyning captain Andy Stillwell said: "We need to beat them, like we do when we play the other teams around us in the table later in the season.

"We definitely can't afford to lose to the teams around ourselves now.
"Saturday probably is a must-win game, but it's not the be-all and end-all.

"They have lost nine of their 11 games, which makes it clear that everyone else is getting points off them, and we should too. But they have good cricketers, and their overseas player, Elliott Bullock, is one of the division's leading run scorers."

Steyning managed to keep sixth-placed Pulborough just about still in touching distance when their last wicket pair, Aussie John-Paul Stewart and Andy Isaacs, batted out the last six overs for the draw on Saturday.

Pulborough, after Stillwell asked them to bat first on a decent bowling track, scored 200-9 before they declared in the 50th over.

Steyning had reduced them to 44-4 before a 130-run stand between Rohit Jagota and Matt Crump. Once Stillwell brought himself on, and dismissed both, Pulborough lost their next five wickets for 20 runs.

Jagota smashed 15 fours and one six in his 88, and Crump cracked seven fours and one six in his 52.

Stillwell, Ian Simpson and Andy Ridley each took three wickets.

Steyning started well in reply but after Stillwell was adjudged lbw to Jagota, and Nick Colley followed next ball, Steyning had soon gone from 35-0 to 41-3.

Owain Jones and Adrian Rosser added 50 for the fourth wicket but Steyning then collapsed from 91-3 to 117-8.

Stewart, and Dave Mates, who had a 23-ball duck, put on 17 for the ninth wicket before Stewart, with 28 runs from 51 balls, and Isaacs, with four runs from 16 deliveries, held on for the draw.

Stillwell said: "We played well in patches, and bowled well at the start and at the end of their innings. We just bowled too many loose balls in between.

"In our innings, we needed a couple of half-centuries, but had four guys who were out between 20 to 35.

"But we've found ourselves in a difficult position two weeks in a row, now, and haven't lost either game. We've turned losing positions into draws. Now we need to turn our winning positions into wins."

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