Chichester returned home against bottom of the league Rustington cc after a wash out across the county last week.
Despite the reasonable forecast, as a result of rain throughout the week, both sides looked to bowl and have a look at what the wicket might do, with captain Mike Smith continuing his fine form with the coin and sticking the visitors in. The Rustington openers battled through the first few overs before overseas Elijah Stead broke the stand through a spell of testing length bowling. Wickets consequently tumbled from the other end too, credit to Jon Heaven’s stint of steady off spin, taking the big wicket of
Rustington’s overseas after he had played a few glorious shots through the covers. The middle overs saw a fightback from the visitors middle order, along with a drop in the fielding standards that saw the visitors post what was thought to be a sub par 214-9.
Despite being disappointed with the latter half of their fielding innings, Chichester went out to bat knowing the score was a realistic chase, especially after seeing how well the wicket had played in the first innings. Despite early wickets tumbling in the Chichester top order, opening batter and vice-captain Timothy Wergan pushed on while being aided by a few minor contributions.
The chase came down to a last wicket stand after some destructive blows from the opener, which ultimately lead to a last over adrenaline pumping win for the home side. Wergan finished 106*, winning the game for the side with a superb and classy knock. The home side remain third in the league and look forward to travelling to Findon in hopes of remedying their early season loss away last season.
By John Heaven
Crawley Eagles 2s v Chichester Priory Park 2s
Chichester Priory travelled to Crawley for a match that the league table indicated should have been a comfortable win, however no game in this competitive league is a given.
Crawley were put into bat on a track that seen plenty of rain in the early part of the week and it was clear from early on that there was plenty in it for the bowlers as the opening pair of Alex Lowther (1 for 26) and Captain Matt Croker (2 for 15) were immediately asking questions of the Crawley batsmen.
Lowther soon had Noorsai caught behind by Goode.
More tight bowling from change bowlers Chaplin and Lewis ( 3 for 24) and excellent fielding soon had Crawley on the back foot and at 20 overs well behind par.
Uddin (34) and Piracha(68) counter attacked and Chichester's spinners wilted under the onslaught.
A total of 184 was 50 runs higher than what should have been par on a spicy pitch.
Chichester's innings got off to a poor start as Goode was caught in the gully for 0 early on, and the incoming Derry departed for 1 soon after from a leading edge on a pitch that was 2 paced and had considerable variable bounce.
McCarthy joined Vickers at the crease and the pair set about rebuilding, taking Chichester to 78-2 at the 20 overs drinks before McCarthy fell for a harsh LBW decision for 22.
Veteran Vickers had to temper his usual attacking style around a failing middle order, accepting 2s and the occasional boundary to keep with the run rate.
When he was bowled in the 32 over for a hard grafted 80 it looked out of reach but a late flurry from Lewis and Mayne took Chichester to within 20 runs before the final wicket fell.
Good availability beckons a return to winning ways in a home fixture against local rivals West Wittering next Saturday.
By Paul Vickers
Chi 3’s hosted Brighton 4’s this Saturday in the park. After a week of rain the toss would be important and Brighton had no hesitation in winning the toss and bowling first.
The pitch although green played well as normal and the opening pair of Goode & Burrows added 130 before the 1st wicket, Hubbard started with intent and the runs flowed, however once he departed runs became more difficult to find and Chi finished at 202-9 from their 40 overs.
In reply Brighton faced a miserly spell from
Guy Montgomery, 9 runs from 5 overs before injury struck, Willem Hodgson removed the top scorer in the division with a shorter and it looked positive for Chi, James Maybe put the brakes on the scoring whilst snaring a couple, and although wickets continued to fall the runs gently continued.
Brighton had a couple of batters that really dug in and with dropped catches at key moments managed to get them over the line with 2 balls to spare in what was a decent game.
We go to Barnes Green next week targeting a better session in the field.
By Jes Goode
Chichester Priory Park 4th XI secured a hard-fought 28-run victory over Broadwater 3rd XI at Hill Barn West on Saturday.
After winning the toss and choosing to bat, Chichester found runs difficult to come by on a challenging surface. Matt Betteridge anchored the innings with a patient 38 from 81 balls, while Mudaseer Kashifi added 13 at the top of the order. Regular wickets prevented the visitors from building momentum, with Broadwater's Olly Scarfield producing an outstanding spell of 6 for 14 from seven overs. Chichester were eventually dismissed for 109 in 34.4 overs.
Defending a modest target, Chichester's bowlers responded brilliantly. Broadwater were reduced to 15 for 2 early on and never recovered as wickets continued to fall at regular intervals. Musawer Kashifi was the chief destroyer, claiming excellent figures of 5 for 21 from eight overs. Toby Buck supported well with 2 for 18, while Ben Kuntze, Matt Betteridge and Tom Spooner each picked up a wicket.
Robish Hentry briefly threatened a recovery with a quick 26, but Broadwater's batting line-up struggled against Chichester's disciplined attack. The home side were eventually bowled out for 81 in 24.1 overs, handing Chichester a deserved victory and maximum points.
Although the batting performance left room for improvement, Chichester's determination in the field and an outstanding bowling display ensured they emerged victorious in a low-scoring contest.
CPPCC Women’s 1XI produced a superb all-round team performance to secure a convincing victory over Aldwick 2XI, bowling the opposition out for just 91 in 24.1 overs before chasing the target down comfortably with nearly half of the allotted overs remaining.
After winning the toss and putting Aldwick into bat, CPPCC’s bowlers were relentless from the very first over. Every bowler played their part in maintaining pressure, with wickets falling regularly throughout the innings.
The standout performance came from Lara Almashta, who delivered a sensational spell of 4-15 from 6 overs, including an incredible hat-trick that swung the game firmly in CPPCC’s favour. Heidi Hubbard was equally impressive, claiming 2-15 from 5 overs, while Ella Newton continued the pressure with an outstanding spell of 2-3 from 3 overs.
Behind the stumps, Grace Audus and Rachel Aslett were outstanding, taking key catches and keeping standards high throughout the innings. The fielding effort as a whole was excellent, backing up the bowlers brilliantly and helping dismiss Aldwick for just 91.
Chasing 92 for victory, CPPCC suffered a couple of early setbacks but showed great composure to regain control of the innings. Mel Beaumont led from the front with an excellent 26, striking six boundaries, while Ruby Whitley matched her score of 26 from including four fours. Their partnership steadied the innings and put CPPCC firmly on course for victory.
Useful contributions from Emily Ketelhake-Jones (11), Phoebe Hutchason (8 not out)* and an explosive 13* from just 7 balls by Grace Audus, featuring three boundaries, saw the chase completed in comfortable fashion with plenty of overs to spare.
It was a fantastic team performance, with every player contributing in some way. A remarkable hat-trick from Lara, disciplined bowling across the attack, sharp wicketkeeping and fielding, and a composed batting display ensured another excellent win for CPPCC Women’s 1XI.
By Mel Beaumont