EP SET TO MISS OUT ON PROMOTION
TO our continual pleasure, cricket throws in these crazy finishes when we least expect them. This match seemed to be drifting towards a draw. The batsmen had held supremacy all day. Bowlers toiled more in hope than expectation.
East Preston, on winning the toss, asked their visitors to bat first, and this they did comfortably. Only when Colin Smith took two wickets in quick succession was this comfort disturbed, but a steady partnership between Ollie Handsen and Phil Ball put South back on track for a good total.
Handsen was out soon after reaching an attractive half-century, but Ball stayed, accelerating as the closure approached. It can be a thankless task bowling at the end at batsmen who are set, and 40 runs ran amok from the last three overs. Ball hit four sixes and nine fours in his unbeaten 83, and South's 240 for four was more than the home side would have liked to chase.
For full report and pictures, see this week's Littlehampton Gazette.