Middleton make hay... Bognor back on track

Andrew Greig of Bognor CC / Picture by Kate Shemilt

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Middleton chalked up a win and a draw on a busy weekend at Sea Lane - while Bognor got back on track with a victory.

Read the latest from division two of the Sussex League here - and in the Bognor Observer every Thursday.

Middleton v St James

Sussex League division two

Middleton entertained their supporters with an excellent display of batting on Saturday against visitors St James. Skipper Sean Heather elected to bat and Will Burrows and Beck Hemingway got their side away to a solid start, but with the score on 43 both departed, Hemmingway for 25 and Burrows for 16.

That was the last success of the afternoon for the St James bowlers as Heather and Ben Ferbrache shared a partnership of 231 to take the Middleton score to 274 for two from 52 overs. Heather’s innings included 14 fours and two sixes, while Ferbrache struck five fours and four sixes.

It was Ferbrache’s first 100 in the Sussex League.

St James set about the task of chasing down the total in a positive way, with partnerships of 65 between brothers Harry and Jordan Rollings and 50 between Harry Rollings and Hector Loughton.

The Middleton bowlers worked hard and were supported by great ground fielding but about four overs from the end, St James shut up shop to settle for a draw. They finished 228 for eight.

Middleton v Guernsey

Sussex League division two

Both captains wanted the opportunity to bat first on the warmest afternoon of the season. Guernsey won the toss and Middleton, as expected, found themselves in the field.

Matt Cooke struck with the first ball of the innings, trapping Josh Butler lbw for 0.

Zack Dammurll and Lucas Barker steadied the innings with a partnership of 77 before Tommy Davies (1-41) got justice for a fine opening spell by having Barker caught by keeper Will Burrows for 32.

Dammurll started to accelerate and looked set to post a hundred until Sean Heather ran him out with a direct hit on 93.

The score was 149-4 and the remaining six wickets fell for 42 runs, the last three falling to a hat-trick by Jamie Thompson.

All the Middleton bowlers stuck to the task with Matt Cooke (3-40) and Craig Fowle (2-47) joining Thompson as the main wicket-takers.