Lewes Priory – a cricket club on the up

Their achievements have continued beyond their results, as the club have appeared on national TV and newspapers for their initiative on moving the junior kits away from white to promote inclusivity.

The senior teams have all had great success – starting with the first and second team being promoted.

The firsts have moved up from Sussex League division five, with James Cruikshank scoring a monumental 1,162 runs over the season, including three 100’s and a top score of 156. The second team will be playing in division nine next season, following a consistent season only losing four of their 17 league games.

Lightning, the women’s team, continued their progress in only their second full year – they made it to the finals of the Sussex Slam competition and finished third in the whole county.

The third team have been one of the few teams to get 11 players out each week, finishing top half in their league and finally, the Sunday team ‘Ruins’ had a great season including an end of season tour to Kent.

The juniors also had a fantastic summer, with the under-13 mixed team beating all the other teams in the league except Preston Nomads.

The under-13 festival saw LPCC win three games and draw one, including two centuries. Freddie Ives scored the most runs in the league with 195.

The under-11 girls were unbeaten all summer, becoming winners of their league, finalists of the league finals, finalists of the area soft ball tournament and finalists of the Sussex Junior Cricket Festival (SJCF). Two members of Lewes Priory won awards from the under-11 girls’ SJCF: Violet Basset received the bowling award and Saskia Well scored the highest amount of runs.

The under-10s had a clean sweep at the area qualifiers for the Sussex Cricket Foundation Softball Cup (SCFSC) – winning all four of their games in May. They then went on to win the SCFSC in September.

The under-10s’ league team (friendlies with 20 overs) had 28 boys and girls play, winning nine out of the 11 games - including two exciting away victories at Brighton and Hove. The biggest win they achieved was hitting 201 against Rottingdean.

The under-10s league team are regarded as being the best fielding team in our area.

All the other junior teams: the mixed under-12s, 11s and 9s and under-17 girls played well and had lots of fun over summer. The under-13 girls had a successful season fielding a team for the first time.

Kevin Ives, chair of the club, said: ”What an amazing season,

"Lewes Priory CC play at the lovely Stanley Turner ground and are looking to grow.

"We welcome all new members old and young, whether you haven’t played for many years, have never played or are looking to develop their game at a higher standard – there is a place in our club for you.”

For more information, visit the Lewes Priory CC website at lewespriory.play-cricket.com