Lindfield outclassed by title-chasers Eastbourne

In return, Eastbourne never looked in trouble. Openers Dan Wells (109 not out) and Jacob Smith (61 not out) played with assured confidence particularly down the ground, before expanding their stroke play in the later overs. Having milked the seamers, both batsmen looked to hit over the top off the spinners, whilst Wells unleashed the reverse sweep on a couple of occasions. With Lindfield unable to quell the run rate, Eastbourne got over the line in just 42 overs.

Skipper Simon Shivnarine commented, “Sometimes you just have to admire the skills of the opposition. Whatever we tried, the Eastbourne boys repelled us and Dan played particularly well. We must show more application with the bat against Three Bridges next week.”

Sussex Premier Cricket League - 2nd XI Division 1

Eastbourne 2nd XI 218 for 7 v Lindfield 2nd XI 217 for 9 dec: Eastbourne win by 3 wickets

An astonishing rearguard action at The Saffrons by Lindfield’s 2nd XI wasn’t quite enough to pull off a remarkable victory following a disastrous batting collapse earlier on. Having been asked to bat first, the visitors could not get to grips with opening bowler Richard Smith (7 for 47) and soon found themselves 43 for 8 including four ducks. Lindfield’s recovery started with Joe Pinard who blasted 33 off just 27 balls.

On his departure, captain Gareth Court joined Steve Pearce as the last pair with the score on 85 for 9. With nothing to lose, both batsmen swung the willow and slowly the momentum began to swing in the visitors’ favour. Hitting 85 off just 77 balls, Court defied the home attack, whilst Pearce accumulated his unbeaten half century off 71 balls. Remarkably, Lindfield were able to declare on 217 for 9.

With a competitive total to bowl at, the depleted Lindfield attack set about their task putting Eastbourne under pressure. Pinard (1 for 58) made an early breakthrough, whilst Pearce toiled through 17 overs after his batting heroics. Scott Lenham hit a solid 57 to steady the innings but wickets fell regularly. Mike Hewitt (2 for 57) and Tom Hinley (2 for 32) had the home side at 137 for 6 and looked like the visitors could force a stunning victory. However, an unbeaten 37 from Joe Pocklington and 25 not out from Richard Smith quelled the Eastbourne nerves and saw them over the line.

Lindfield batsman Will Light commented, “At 5 for 3, I thought we might be in the wine bar by 5 o’clock, but our tailenders did a superb job. It was the best rearguard action I have ever seen at this club, and it was a shame it didn’t result in a win.”

Mid-Sussex Cricket League - Division 2: Lindfield 3rd XI 100 all out v Chailey 1st XI 104 for 3: Chailey win by 7 wickets

A poor batting display from Lindfield resulted in a defeat they thoroughly deserved after winning the toss and electing to bat at Hickmans Lane. Only Jason Morgan showed any application in the top order with a fluent 42 as Peter Dembrey (4 for 38) and Senthil Kumar (3 for 13) shocked the home side. 16 from Tom Storer and 13 from Arden Foster-Spink were the only other contributions as Lindfield limped to just 100.

In return, Chailey were rarely in trouble as Skylabkanna Balasubramanian compiled 65 before being run out by Storer. 16 from opener Nick Robertson helped the visitors chase down the total just in 23 overs and 3 wickets down. 16 year old Dominic Morgan (1 for 13) and Dan Booth (1 for 11) came out with some credit from the Lindfield attack.

Mid-Sussex Cricket League - Division 4: Brunswick Village 1st XI 186 for 2 v Lindfield 4th XI 185 for 7: Brunswick win by 8 wickets

A full house of defeats for Lindfield this weekend was confirmed when the 4th XI travelled to Chailey to play Brunswick Village. Good contributions from Malcolm Page (36) Graham Page (46) and Freddie Longley (41) saw the visitors to a competitve 185 for 7, with home bowlers David Price (3 for 47) and Nathan Penny (3 for 32) doing the damage.

In reply, Brunswick got off to a flyer thanks to a brutal 86 from Jeremy Stevens which included 19 fours. The Lindfield bowlers were unable to get the better of the home side’s top order as some bowling figures took severe punishment. Only Jack Cooper (1 for 16) and Lloyd Fielder (1 for 1) troubled the scorers in the right hand column. An unbeaten 58 from Jamie Funnell was enough to see Brunswick to their target off just 38 overs.

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