Priory triumph in national cup

Hastings Priory celebrate claiming a Roffey wicket at Horntye Park yesterday. Picture by Simon Newstead (SUS-140713-220823002) SUS-140713-220823002

Sussex Premier League basement dwellers Priory prevailed by 21 runs at home to leaders Roffey in an ECB Royal London Club Championship last 16 tie yesterday (Sunday).

Priory totalled 205-9 from their 45 overs after losing the toss and being asked to bat. It was an innings of solid rather than spectacular contributions with all of the top eight reaching double figures, but none of them going on to make a really big score.

Pinch-hitting opener Finn Hulbert made a run-a-ball 11 until being first to go with the score 17. Tom Gillespie and Leo Cammish battled hard in the face of some good bowling to take the score past 50 before Gillespie fell for 16 off 63 balls.

Priory captain George Campbell came in at four and upped the tempo. Cammish departed for 33 from 74 deliveries with the score 78 and Priory were 105-4 after Elliot Hooper was out for 10 off 11 balls.

Campbell and Adam Maharaj-Newman put on 50 for the fifth wicket before both men fell within five runs of each other, Campbell for a very good 49 off just 43 balls and Maharaj-Newman for 21 off 27.

Priory kept up the momentum, though, with Jake Woolley blasting 20 off 13 balls and Freddie Hulbert making a handy 16 off 17 before last man Cameron Smith smashed the final ball of the innings for six.

Finn Hulbert got Priory off to a great start in the field by taking the first three Roffey wickets with the score 18. Older brother Freddie had Roffey captain Josh Fleming caught behind by Woolley for 20 to make it 41-4.

Roffey looked virtually dead and buried after losing three more wickets for three runs to sit 58-7. Campbell bowled Mike Norris for 26 before Hooper bagged two wickets in the same over, the first of them thanks to a stunning diving catch on the drive by Maharaj-Newman.

A few mainly tough chances went down before Cameron Smith saw off Oliver Rivers for 24 to make it 89-8, but Roffey refused to roll over and the ninth wicket pair put on 40 until Campbell bowled Leigh Harrison for 18.

With rain now threatening on a previously glorious afternoon, Roffey number nine Mark Pavlovic launched a brilliant counter-attack which had nerves jangling in the home camp.

Pavlovic clubbed three fours and six sixes (four of which came in successive overs) until being run out by Freddie Hulbert at third man attempting an improbable second run for 73 off 68 balls, leaving Roffey all out for 184 in 41.1 overs.