CRICKET: Run- Chases Fall Short
3 June:
Buxted Park 288 for 8; Hastings Priory 274
10 June:
Hastings Priory 286 for 6; Chichester Priory Park 271
HUGH SULLIVAN
There was a marked symmetry in games contested by Hastings & St Leonards Priory in the Sussex Cricket League over the last two Saturdays.
On 3 June, hosts Buxted Park racked up an impressive score of 288 from their 45 overs. Priory replied with an opening partnership of 175, but their later wickets tumbled in trying to match the required run rate, and they were bowled out in the last over, 14 runs short.
On 10 June, playing on their home ground at Claremont School against Chichester Priory Park, it was the turn of Hastings to post an imposing score – 286 off 53 overs, leaving the visitors 47 overs to overhaul this figure for a win or avoid being bowled out for a draw. Chichester looked odds on victors when reaching 232 for 2, but then lost their last eight wickets for 29 runs and lost by 15 runs.
In the earlier game, Priory’s seamer Satchi Mahendran broke a finger in the field and could not complete his overs. Adam Barton made a welcome return to Priory’s bowling attack and returned the excellent figures of four wickets for 40 off his nine overs. Spinners Alex Osborne and Harvey Faulkner shared the other four wickets between them, though the latter conceded on average almost seven runs per over.
Priory’s openers Dylan Woolley (62 off 86 balls) and Harry Scowen (a magnificent 122 off 95 including 20 boundaries) put them in a commanding position, but only John Morgan (20), Osborne (29) and Faulkner (14) reached double figures after them, and the last four wickets fell under time pressure for just eight runs.
STIFLINGLY HOT
Last Saturday, by contrast, Priory – winning the toss and electing to bat on a stiflingly hot afternoon – started poorly against an attack led by Chichester’s Mitch Heyward, bowling with pace and accuracy down the pronounced slope. He had Dylan Woolley caught for a duck in the first over and disposed of brother Jake Woolley soon after. Iden McCleave made a first ball exit, gloving the ball to the wicket-keeper: that was 16 for three. Scowen (42) and captain Tom Gillespie (23) started the rescue effort, but Heyward clean-bowled both of them, and at 84 for five the innings remained in crisis.
Osborne (108 not out off 111 balls) and Seaver Cowley (50 off 69) then came together in a partnership of 137 that transformed the shape of the match. Starting cautiously, with scampered singles, circumspect drives, and a certain degree of playing-and-missing against the still aggressive Heyward, they pushed the score forward only slowly at first. But as the afternoon got hotter, Heyward tired and Chichester’s support bowling proving unthreatening, they gradually took command. Eventually Cowley was dismissed immediately after reaching his half-century, but his replacement, Morgan, slogged an unbeaten 51, including five sixes, off 20 balls to boost Priory’s final total to 288 for six.
With neither Mahendran nor Barton available, Cowley opened the Priory bowling with Morgan and took two early wickets, but a third wicket partnership between Chichester batsmen Wergan and Dabinett-Jays of 202 put their side firmly in control – only 67 more runs were then wanted with eight wickets in hand and plenty of overs. Osborne and Faulkner had again proved expensive against batsmen set and willing to chance their arm. Re-enter Cowley, however, who trapped both the high scorers lbw. Osborne also returned to the attack to bamboozle the later order batsmen, and the two Priory batting heroes of earlier in the afternoon formed an equally successful bowling partnership, sharing all ten wickets as Chichester were bowled out 15 runs short with two overs to spare.
Osborne, a recruit for the season from Perth, Australia, will have been particularly pleased to perform so well in front of his father and girlfriend, who have flown halfway across the world to watch him as part of a tour that will also include spectating at one or more Ashes Tests.
Next up for the Hastings team are two matches against other sides who have started the season strongly – away against West Chiltington and Thakeham (outside Pulborough) tomorrow (Saturday), then at home on the following Saturday to Worthing, who have won all four they have played so far.
Crowhurst Park, who compete along with Hastings & St Leonards Priory in Division 2 of the Sussex Cricket League also experienced mixed fortunes over the past two Saturdays. On 3 June they lost by 31 runs at Burgess Hill. They restricted the home side to a total of 199 and started well to reach 82 for the loss of two wickets, but then subsided to 168 all out.
Last Saturday, at home to Buxted Park, they batted solidly to reach 287 for eight from 52 overs before declaring with half centuries from Jordan Shaw (56), Thomas Powell (62) and Clive Tong (52). Nicholas Cockcroft scored a century for Buxted, but lost wickets steadily. Jordan Shaw and Ollie Constable bagged four each, and Crowhurst completed a 31-run victory to reverse the previous result precisely.
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