Middleton beat Horsham in battle of Kiwis … Roffery romp at Mayfield

Horsham v Middleton

Sussex Premier

by Martin Read

After late opportunities for both sides with fortunes fluctuating, visiting Middleton bludgeoned their way across the line with three balls and one wicket to spare.

The win left them fourth in the table, one place above Horsham.

Despite forecast rain Horsham elected to bat, and were handily placed at 57-1. But after opener Bertie Foreman was out for 35, wickets fell regularly.

Will Beer made 34 and there were 20s from skipper Nick Oxley and Sam Martin-Jenkins, but Horsham were disappointed to find themselves on 126-6.

Middleton captain Sean Heather grabbed three late wickets and a run-out, with Horsham finishing on 175 all out, which appeared light.

Rain interruptions revised the target to 179 from 42 overs, and at 93-1 Middleton were in control, albeit rather sedately.

But when James Brehaut dismissed James Barker for 68 for the first of his three wickets, Horsham began the claw themselves back into the game.

Two wickets each from Lister – immediately before catching his flight to UAE to join his New Zealand teammates – and two each for Beer and Foreman, boosted by an outstanding diving catch by Beer, reduced Middleton to 159-8 with the asking rate escalating.

Eighteen runs were required from the last two overs. Enter Kiwi overseas player Fraser Sheat, batting with a runner after suffering a hamstring injury earlier in the game.

In six balls Sheat hit a huge maximum, followed by two fours, featuring a reverse sweep, to get Middleton over the line.

Relieved skipper Heather said: “That was a great game, but I thought we’d blown it – until Fraser came in and blasted us home!”

Mayfield v Roffey

Sussex Premier

by Martin Read

With relegation at stake this was a game that Roffey had to with, and they did - in style, the vintage performance completely overwhelming their Mayfield host, with the game finishing close on 4pm.

Roffey won the toss and inserted Mayfield, who lost both openers, for 3 runs between them, to Harnoop Kalsi. Jonny Phelps then grabbed two wickets before Matt Davies, returning from injury, ran out Noah James, and, with George Fleming chipping in with another scalp, Mayfield were reeling at 85-6. Tristan Killops made a run a ball 32, with Matt Cooke (26) and Robert Sharma (13) adhering for a 7th wicket stand of 28, but progress became desperately slow, and once they were out, the innings quickly subsided to a totally inadequate 125, Phelps finishing with 4-20 from 10 frugal overs.

With the luxury of 50 overs at their disposal, Roffey might have been circumspect, but Usman Khan immediately made his intentions clear taking 17 off his initial over, including 6 from his second ball. In company with Theo Rivers, who hit 4 fours in his 37 not out, Khan made an unbeaten 79, his 49 balls containing 7 sixes and 5 fours, telling the County Times: “I’ve been injured and then we had rain so it was nice to get out there and bat, and I wanted us to have a really solid win. Their West Indian overseas, Keon Harding, is a top bowler but the wicket was soft and didn’t suit him!”

After romping home by 10 wickets with 34.2 overs still in the bank, the 30 point win places Roffey 7th on equal points – 217 – with Bognor (who lost to Three Bridges), while Eastbourne remain bottom on 156, with Mayfield in the penultimate spot with 179. Runaway leaders Cuckfield are 57 points clear of both Preston Nomads and East Grinstead.

With 3 games remaining, on Saturday Roffey welcome Bridges, ahead of a relatively kind run in against Eastbourne and Bognor.

Roffey v Preston Nomads

T20 Cup QF

Despite notching up what would probably have been a winning score in most games, Roffey were knocked out of the Sussex T20 Cup at the Quarter Final stage last Sunday courtesy of a phenomenal allround performance from a young Sussex Second XI player.

Roffey put Preston Nomads in to bat, only to be on the wrong end of a bruising battering from 19 year old Zach Lion-Cachet, whose 116 included 10 sixes and 9 fours from just 55 balls. The next highest contribution was 22, but when the right handed opener was out the score was 176-5 and irreparable damage had already been inflicted, notwithstanding Lewis Shivnarain, Jonny Phelps and Will Fenwick finishing with 2 wickets apiece.

202 to win was a daunting challenge, rendered almost impossible by Lion-Cachet dismissing the first three batsmen with only 29 runs on the board. Usman Khan rounded off a great personal weekend with a 2 run a ball 82, featuring 5 sixes and 8 fours, with double figure support from Sajeer Nizam, Shivnarain, skipper Matt Davies and Sam Henderson, but Roffey bowed out of this year’s cup with Nomads winning by 40 runs thanks to match winning displays from one player – Zach Lion-Cachet.

The Division 2 title race looks like going the distance – but Worthing remain in pole position despite a rare defeat last weekend.

Harry Dunn’s team are seven points clear of West Chilts – and importantly 23 clear of third-placed Hastings, the team they need to finish ahead of to be sure of a top two spot and promotion to the premier.

Worthing collapsed to 114 all out chasing 136 to beat St James for a surprise loss.