Rain ruins it for Middleton... lightning halts Pagham

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Middleton v Ifield

Sussex League division two

Middleton were left to rue a rain break which deprived them of the time needed to gain victory. at home to early-season league leaders Ifield.

Ifield elected to field but Middleton once again got off to a good start with the score on 40 before the loss of the first wicket.

The fall of the third wicket at 103, Ben Hansford bowled for 26 in the 26th over, brought both a drinks interval and rain, which saw play delayed for an hour and a half.

When play re-started ,the overs had been reduced from a 100 to 76, leaving Middleton 15 overs to bat and giving Ifield 35 overs to chase the total.

Middleton’s batters all made runs – Sean Heather with 38, Patrick Colvin 30 and Matt Cooke 23 from 12 balls including three sixes the main contributors.

Middleton finished on 185-8 from their allotted overs.

In reply the Ifield batters found it hard going against the Middleton bowlers, with opening bowler Tommy Davies particularly impressive bowling nine overs and taking 1-15.

Ifield lost regular wickets and when the ninth wicket fell with the score on 103, Middleton were left with 11 balls to try to take the final wicket.

Middle-order batsman Joe Smith saw his side to safety with an undefeated 29. Ifield ended their innings on 112-9 with Craig Fowle (3-24) and Matt Cooke (2-19) the other main Middleton wicket-takers.

Bognor v Lindfield

Division two

The inclement weather didn’t stop Bognor recording a tense victory against Lindfield at the Regis Oval.

Andrew Greig was among the wickets with two lbss, while Rob Willway, playing his first Bognor game for three years, eked out another as Lindfield were reduced to 59 for three.

A gradual rebuilding process from Simon Shivnarain and Shane Wilson-Yelverton (36) brought the away side back into it.

Undeterred by a rain break, Shivnarain went to an excellent century before falling to Zayne Bux shortly afterwards for exactly 100. Bognor picked up wickets regularly late on, Bux the pick with 3-43.

Bognor’s reply started steadily and the fall of Mike Harris to Wilson-Yelverton brought Max Ashmore (66) and Willway (55) together.

They put on 119 for the second wicket but an inspired second spell from James Pearce accounted for both batsmen, as well as Ryan Maskell, while Wilson-Yelverton removed Bux for 20 to set up a tense finish.

Contributions all the way down the order, notably from James Fallick and Greig, saw Bognor enter the last over in near darkness needing five to win.

Greig finished it with aplomb, driving Pearce through the covers for four and then stealing a single to give Bognor victory with three balls to spare.

See the Bognor CC 2016 team picture in the Observer - out now

Eastbourne v Pagham

Division two

Eastbourne elected to bowl on an overcast day but Pagham made a good start with Stuart Hanks (39) and Stuart Rutter (18) putting on 58 for the first wicket.

Both fell within the space of three balls but Ryan Barratt (80) and Joe Fuente (36) put on 80.

The Pagham batsmen found the flat wicket to their liking and with Eranga Dissangge (36) and a quick-fire 29 from the re-installed Billy Turner-Hogg Pagham reached 249 for six.

Eastbourne weren’t helped by three dropped catches. In reply, Eastbourne had 40 after ten overs but Pete Cotterill (3-74) took three quick wickets, all bowled, reducing Eastbourne to 90 for five.

Skipper Luke Tomsett (55) helped the home side recover to 173 for six but two quick wickets from Joe Fuente meant Pagham required two wickets in six overs to get a win.

But flashes of forked lightning saw a halt called with three overs left and meant a draw.

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