Early season has cups and downs for Horsham CC and Roffey CC

Horsham enjoyed a decisive National Cup win after electing to bat and posting 173-4 in a truncated game of 24 overs a side against visitors Dartford.

An early wicket fell, before a partnership of 100 between skipper Will Beer (65) and Bertie Foreman (66) enabled Horsham to set the challenging target, the pair hitting 15 fours and two sixes between them.

When Dartford responded, they lost a wicket from the second ball of the innings. Some made promising contributions, but the score slipped from from 84-5 Dartford to 100 all out, with all six Horsham bowlers taking wickets – George Briance, Pranjal Sharmer and Nick Oxley grabbing two apiece.

In Sunday’s next round Horsham travel to Wimbledon of the Surrey Championship premier division.

Meanwhile, Roffey’s 200-mile round trip to East Kent ended in frustration.

After being inserted by their Broadstairs hosts they scored a useful 165-4, only to lose a weather induced bowl out.

Opener Jonny Phelps was in the runs again, with 70, taking his weekend tally to 158. Ben Whelpton followed up with 31, before an unbroken partnership of 41 between skipper Matt Davies and Theo Rivers left Roffey on 165-4 before the 20-overs-a-side contest was terminated.

The Sussex League starts on Saturday with Roffey welcoming promoted Hastings and Horsham visiting East Grinstead.

T20 Cup

Horsham v Middleton

In the first round of the Sussex T20 Cup, at their Cricketfield Road HQ, Horsham lost to fellow Premier League side Middleton after asking them to bat first.

The visitors began steadily, then wobbled mid innings, but recovered to post a challenging rather than a killer target.

Evergreen skipper Sean Heather opened with former Horsham all-rounder Ollie Haines, the pair putting on 79 for the first wicket, but when Heather was out for 38, Haines soon followed for 36, Sean O’Donnell nipping in with three quick wickets.

James Barker – undefeated with 34 – and Josh Wood (20) carried Middleton to a respectable 149-5.

Replying, Horsham soon found themselves 8-3, and although wicketkeeper Sam Bell made 31 and Sussex’s Bertie Foreman 27, Sam Martin-Jenkins was the only other player to reach double figures as Horsham struggled to 102 all out, Middleton winning by 47 runs.

Sam Green took 4-15 and Barker completed his excellent all-round game with 3-19.

Roffey v Chippendale

Roffey overwhelmed Division 4 West side Chippingdale, notching a useful total after being put in and then running through the Worthing-based opposition in double quick time.

For Roffey, opener Jonny Phelps hit seven sixes and four fours in his whirlwind 88.

An unbroken partnership of 24 from Theo Rivers and newly signed Toby Munt ensuring that Roffey posted a target of 153 after they’d stuttered to 128-5, with two wickets apiece for Daniel Allwright and Lewis Wells.

Chippingdale got off to a nightmare start, crashing to 0-3, then 1-4. A minor recovery got them to 25 before the next wicket fell.

But with only Aaron Tugnutt scoring more than 10, the other batsmen made just nine between them, extras top-scoring with 12, as Chippendale slid to 32 all out in 11.1 overs for Roffey to win by 120 runs.

In round two Roffey will face Eastbourne. Other R2 fixtures include Cuckfield v Rottingdean, Three Bridges v Bognor and Steyning v Preston Nomads.