29 July: Crowhurst Park 102; Hastings Priory 103 for 5

Hastings Priory completed their third successive victory over local rivals Crowhurst this summer, when winning by five wickets in their Sussex Cricket League encounter on 29 July. In an early season T20 encounter Priory had overhauled a score of 140 with four wickets to spare; in June, under limited over rules, Crowhurst had managed 162, but Priory got them with seven wickets outstanding. This time, in a traditional-format 100-over game, Crowhurst were bowled out for 102 in the 38th and Priory’s batsmen, despite a mini-collapse, won comfortably by five wickets.

From the start, Priory asserted their dominance on a damp pitch, as Satchi Mahendran bowled out Crowhurst’s top batsman Jordan Shaw, and Adam Barton dispatched fellow-opener Toby Burdekin likewise. From 12 for two, Crowhurst’s third wicket pair, Tom Powell (30) and Bradley Payne (20) batted solidly in a partnership of 47. But John Morgan joined the attack to dismiss both, and only Nick Peters (20 before being run out) offered much resistance in the late order. Morgan finished with four for 27.  

Priory were without their leading scorer, Harry Scowen, but captain Tom Gillespie (35) and Dylan Woolley (24), under no time pressure, shared a careful opening stand of 67 to put victory within sight. An aggressive spell of fast bowling by Shaw had Priory’s middle order batsmen ducking and weaving from short pitch deliveries. He claimed three quick wickets, and Peters, with some gentle spin, took two. Then Harvey Faulkner provided a smart cameo, with three reverse sweeps off successive balls from Peters, to get his side over the line. 

Last Saturday all league games were abandoned without a ball bowled as rain and wind took their toll. That leaves four more games to play, all under limited-over rules. Back in third place, Priory will travel to their Chichester Priory Park namesakes tomorrow (Saturday), then have fixtures against the top two, West Chiltington and Worthing, over succeeding weeks. The results of these should determine whether the Hastings side can gain their season’s aim – promotion back to the Sussex Premier. Crowhurst, meanwhile, also have games against the top two amongst their four outstanding fixtures – so, ironically, could help their local rivals along the way.

Sussex Cricket League standings – top five  

The cricketers of Hastings & St Leonards Priory were denied any play over the first two Saturdays of the new season. Their opening fixture against St James’s Montefiore on Coronation Day was washed out, and their scheduled trip to Haywards Heath last Saturday was also cancelled, due to drainage problems at their intended hosts’ ground. 

So it was good to get a first competitive game under their belts on Sunday, playing away at local rivals Crowhurst Park in the first round of the county’s T20 competition – and even better to pull off a narrow win, overhauling the home side’s score of 140 with four wickets and just five balls to spare.

There’s not too much to learn, or at least to be sure of, from a T20 bash-and-dash between two under-practised teams. But Priory captain Tom Gillespie can take confidence for the next round of limited-over fixtures that he has a varied bowling attack at his disposal which can be relied upon not to give too many easy runs away. 

Opening bowlers John Morgan and Adam Barton have a wealth of experience at this level; support seamers Seaver Cowley and Iden McCleave supply reliable back-up. Spinners Harvey Faulkner and Alex Osborne – the latter a new recruit from Perth, Australia as Priory’s ‘overseas’ player for the summer – add a more subtle mix. Osborne returned the best figures of the afternoon, three wickets for 29 off his four overs, but all played their part in limiting the Crowhurst total to a reachable 140 for six. Performance in the field – so important in the T20 format – was variable, some smart work in the deep undermined by a few dropped catches, but general energy levels were high and sustained.

Priory’s batting was understandably rusty, but a typically belligerent knock of 30 off 19 balls by Gillespie, and a confident fourth-wicket partnership of 59 between Greg Devlin and Morgan, cashing in on some loose stuff from Crowhurst’s second-string bowlers, kept their side up with the run-rate. After Morgan (63 off 36 balls including five sixes) eventually holed out, Cowley saw Priory home.

Crowhurst may smart briefly at losing to their neighbours, but they enjoyed an excellent first league win the previous day away to St James’s Montefiore at Hassocks. Put into bat, they looked in some trouble at 119 for six, but a seventh wicket partnership of 52 between Matthew Constable (29) and Nick Peters (41) steadied the ship, and their eventual total of 192 proved easily defensible. Jamie Bristow-Diamond dismissed the home side’s first four batsmen, and the tail end crumpled from 110 for five to 120 all out, including two run-outs.

Tomorrow (Saturday) Priory will be away again at Burgess Hill and Crowhurst entertain Haywards Heath in the Sussex League. Then on the following Saturday Priory will at last return to their home ground at Claremont school. Their opponents… Crowhurst. That should be another high-spirited contest.

She recalls, “I always loved swimming and, up until a few years ago, my husband and I would go to aqua aerobics together. Sadly, I lost Mike in 2021 and then having the stroke I thought my swimming days were over – but thanks to the team at Hastings Court I was wrong.”

Dee is one of a number of residents who take part in weekly sessions at Crowhurst Holiday Village, which has kindly opened its pool and specialist equipment to allow residents, including those with reduced mobility, to enjoy the freedom of floating in a pool once again.

It was the idea of Dan Peacock, Lifestyle Coordinator at the 80-bed home. Dan says: “I was at the pool myself one day and noticed a hoist, and it dawned on me what a great opportunity this would be for the residents at Hastings Court. There are so many health benefits that come with swimming, and it would be an ideal activity for us as a home.

“I approached the manager at Crowhurst Park who agreed we could bring groups from Hastings Court to use the equipment and go swimming – for many it was the first time in over a decade they had been in a pool.

“It has been a huge hit with many telling me it is a highlight of their week. Being so free in the water helps those with mobility issues and I have noticed residents with dementia and Alzheimer’s seem more lucid and calm after a session in the pool.”

Dee is now able to walk with two sticks thanks to the regular sessions. But she says she had to be persuaded to take the plunge: “I wasn’t the first to sign up for swimming as I was worried I would sink, but with the encouragement of the team and my fellow residents, I gave it a try and it was the best thing I ever did.

“At the pool there is a special chair to help me into the water and as soon as I get in I feel totally relaxed. With the help of a couple of buoyancy aids, called noodles, I’m free to move around wherever I want to go. I’d forgotten the feeling of weightlessness you get in water – but I soon remembered how to move around, and I was off!”

Dee admits, “Sometimes we stop off in the pub on the way home – I think we’ve earned it!”