CRICKET: Priory Thriller Ends in Tie
15 August: Hastings & St Leonards Priory 154 all out; Bognor Regis 155 for 4
22 August: Priory 237 for 9; Horsham 237 for 7
HUGH SULLIVAN
After suffering a comprehensive home defeat at the hands of Bognor Regis on 15 August, the cricketers of Hastings and St Leonards Priory tied a thrilling game with Horsham last Saturday. Those results taken together send Priory back to the foot of the Sussex Premier League, needing to win at least one and perhaps both of their two remaining games to save themselves from relegation. But their effort to salvage even spoils from the game at Horsham, which they played with a weakened side and looked at several stages bound to lose, shows that anything is possible.
Troy Henry makes lbw appeal against Bognor Regis
First choice batsmen Joe Billings, Caleb Laloo and Shawn Johnson were missing from the Priory line-up, as was opening bowler Freddie Hulbert. Captain Harry Scowen opted to bat first on winning the toss but may have rued the decision when he was dismissed for a seven-ball duck.
Alfie Hunter (50) and Eddy Finch (43) put together a solid second wicket partnership of 95, but after both were trapped lbw by home captain William Beer (four wickets for 29 in his ten overs), the middle order foundered and at 131 for six, the innings was in danger of meltdown. Young Troy Henry (43), promoted up the order, and veteran John Morgan (25), fought back with a stand of 63, and lusty blows at the death by Adam Pye and Adam Page hoisted a final total of 237 off 50 overs.
For the next two hours, that did not seem likely to be enough. In Hulbert’s absence, Adam Pye and John Morgan delivered tidy opening spells, and Henry also bowled his spinners tightly. But the home batsmen found themselves gradually able to accelerate their run rate against Adam Barton, Page and Hunter and after 44 overs, found themselves needing only 31 more runs from the last six, with two batsmen Nick Oxley and Chris Nash well set and seven wickets in hand.
A run out accomplished by Priory wicket keeper Greg Devlin dismissed Nash for 37, then Pye and Barton took a further wicket apiece. Nevertheless, with 11 balls remaining, Horsham’s score had risen to 232 for six: just six runs were wanted with four wickets remaining; Oxley was 74 not out and on strike. Priory’s defeat was surely inevitable.
Or was it? Pye had Oxley caught by Scowen, and conceded only two runs off his last four balls. Barton bowled the last over, allowing only one run off the first four balls. Two were now wanted off two. One was scrambled off the fifth and another off the sixth, leaving the scores tied.
A week earlier Priory had succumbed with little fight at home to Bognor Regis. After early dismissals of Hunter and Finch, Billings (56) and Scowen (27) dug in with a third wicket stand of 66. But when Scowen was bowled out, the absence of Laloo and Johnson exposed a brittle middle order and meek tail-end. The eventual total of 154 was hit off by their West Sussex visitors inside 27 overs, Hulbert and Henry sharing the four wickets which fell, but no bowler able to stem the flow of runs.
Tomorrow (Saturday) Priory host Three Bridges at Horntye. Their final league game will be away to Preston Nomads at Fulking on 6 September.
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