Cricket preview - Bexhill & Sidley

Jonathan Haffenden's side will travel to East Grinstead in the Premier Division of the Sussex Cricket League fresh off the agonising 12-run defeat at home to Hastings Priory last weekend.

First team manager Hamish Russell said: "We've got 18 games of Premier League cricket. It took us 10 years to get back to this position and everybody's really looking forward to the rest of the summer."

Grinstead were runners-up last season and made a winning start to 2010 against Three Bridges last weekend, but Russell is confident that Bexhill will be competitive.

He added: "They've got some good players up there, but it's 11 players against 11 and I think our players are good enough to compete and win the game. I back our boys to score as many runs as most teams."

All of last weekend's side should be available and Bexhill are hoping to welcome back Toby Finzel subject to university commitments.

Sidley, meanwhile, will be hoping for more of the same after their opening day victory over Crawley last weekend when they travel to Burgess Hill in Division Three (East) tomorrow.

Burgess Hill finished bottom of the table last season, but began the new campaign with a 107-run triumph at home to Ansty last weekend after bowling their opponents out for just 82.

Skipper Neil Priddy said: "We're pretty confident. Obviously it's on their pitch and we don't know what that's going to play like, but we'll see what happens when we go over there. We're looking forward to it."

The wicket proved difficult to bat on during the corresponding fixture last season when Sidley bowled Hill out for 98 after Scott Woodroffe made an excellent unbeaten 105 in a total of 194-9.

Sidley will be without Bradley Holt, who was second in the divisional batting averages last season with 732 runs at 66.55, but batsman Paul Nice and wicketkeeper Paul Thompson should return.