West Wittering's wonders celebrate promotion

We're coming to the end of the Invitation League season and there are mixed emotions around our local clubs.
Kieran Baker bowls to help West Wittering to victory over Horsham III - and to promotion / Picture by Kate ShemiltKieran Baker bowls to help West Wittering to victory over Horsham III - and to promotion / Picture by Kate Shemilt
Kieran Baker bowls to help West Wittering to victory over Horsham III - and to promotion / Picture by Kate Shemilt

West Wittering are celebrating promotion from division three to two but Aldwick are going in the other direction.

Eastergate and Selsey look like staying put for next season.

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Here are the latest reports - including a massive win for Chi Priory’s fourths.

West Wittering v Horsham 3rds

Division three

There were jubilant scenes at West Wittering as the first XI secured promotion to division two with two games to spare. They won the toss and elected to put a youthful Horsham into bat. An accurate opening bowling partnership put the visitors under early pressure with Alex Salmon (3-32) bowling seven maidens in a row and Harry Staight (4-29) also bowling a tight line and picking up two early wickets.

McAteer (27) and Glossop (21) stabilised Horsham with Kieran Baker bowling a good spell for no reward. A quickfire 32 from Leon Donnelly brought Horsham to a respectable total of 151.

Horsham managed to pick up the key early wicket of Mark Taylor (430 runs this season) but Jack Allsobrook (51no) batted beautifully with Gareth Lendrum, who made a swashbuckling 51 to complete the chase with six wickets to spare. The 30-point win guaranteed another promotion.

Eastergate v Crawley Down

Division one

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Eastergate earned an 84-run victory to take them to third in the table and confirm their safety in the top division.

Crawley Down elected to field and Eastergate slumped to five for two, with skipper Jack Stannard and Nathan Green back in the hut.

Justin Poyser and Nick Smith put on 50 before Smith was bowled for 31.

Another two wickets fell and Eastergate were in trouble at 68 for five, but Poyser and Dan Jadzevics rebuilt – before Jadzevics was run out for 21.

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Poyser took the innings into his own hands and with wickets falling at the other end, notched his first league 100 of the season.

Eastergate ended all out for 189.

Crawley Down were on the back foot from the start as Tom Stannard found the edge of both openers to leave them 20 for two.

Stannard picked up another and Jamie Murphy took two wickets while the spin of Rijo Raju earned him five for 25. Crawley Down were all out for 105.

Selsey v Aldwick

Division two

With relegation confirmed for Aldwick, they have only pride to play for – and facing Selsey, at last they found some backbone. Though they did not win they did prevent a home victory in a drawn game.

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Selsey declared on 226-6 with all their batsmen making double figures but the centerpiece of the innings was a second-wicket partnership from opener Tom Amis (84) and Nick Nolan (44) that produced 94 runs.

Aldwick skipper Ollie Smith (2-66) finally bowled Nolan and later on John Young (1-30) prevented an Amis century. Together, Smith and Harry Rosser (2-25) rallied round.

Aldwick’s run chase started fairly confidently with a decent opening partnership of 37 from Charlie Barnett (24) and Alex Cooper (13).

Later, Josh Seargeant (48) and Dan Robinson (45) made valuable runs and had a sniff of victory but in the end Selsey’s bowling attack (especially Tom Amis (3-52) and Tom Cripps (2-57) were always in control and Aldwick settled for a draw finishing on 193-8.

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A victory in their final league game this week against Crawley Eagles III would be the perfect tonic as they say goodbye to division two.

Worthing fours conceded against Aldwick twos, which gave Aldwick 30 points. This week they hope to get another 30 points facing Portslade threes.

Selsey travel to St Andrews in Burgess Hill for their last away game.

West Wittering v Wisborough Green

T20 Cup QF

Wittering beat division-one side Wisborough Green at the Meadow in an exciting T20 quarter-final.

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Wisborough elected to bowl. Carl Tupper and Jack Allsobrook opened for WW and found it difficult to get the opening bowlers away.

Allsobrook was clean bowled in the third over with the score at six. Tupper played a varied innings, top-scoring with 28 until he was run out by team-mate Liam Bates (18).

A fantastic cameo from Alex Salmon (27) helped boost the score and Kieran Baker (four not out) went in for the last ball and finished with a strike rate of 400 per cent as Wittering made 135.

WG looked strong in their top five, but the Witterings bowlers made light work of it, claiming wickets at regular intervals.

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M Scott (21) was the highest scorer for WG, but was removed by Tupper, his middle stump uprooted. Wickets continued to fall and some excellent fielding and support from the crowd geed on Wittering to victory, bowling out WG for 82.

Jack Harte (3-26), Salmon (2-15), Joe Pink (1-27), Tupper (2-2) and Andy Priest (2-10) all contributed with the ball, booking Witterings place at T20 finals day on Sunday, September 4 at Preston Nomads CC.

West Wittering 2nd v Brighton & Hove 4th

Division seven

Brighton elected to field and West Wittering got off to a shaky start, losing two early wickets.

The innings was steadied with Joe Sissons top-scoring with 76, supported by Ben Doyle (26) and Trevor Delderfield (17). Wittering totalled 196.

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Sissons took two early wickets with Kevin Allsobrook supporting at the other end also claiming two.

Brighton were all out for just 62, with Richard Hammond taking season-best figures of four for one and no Brighton player reaching double figures. West Wittering won by 134 runs and the chase for back-to-back promotions is still on.

Clymping 2nd XI v Bognor 3rd XI

Division ten west

A much-changed Bognor team travelled to Clymping for their final game of the season.

Bognor began well with Jake Lintell-Smith and Jon Whitewood bowling well to have the hosts at 62 for three.

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However a lively innings by Michael Folly with 82 saw Clymping up to 193 for six.

Lintell Smith with three for 29 on debut and Whitewood with two for 37 were the pick of the attack while former Bognor skipper Glenn West grabbed his first wicket in four years.

Bognor’s response started well and at 62 for one, the visitors were well set. However the departure of Babs Ahmed for 38 and Steve Jays for 25 saw the tide turn in Clymping’s favour.

Bognor’s youngsters gave it a right go - including 65-year-old Jon Denby cracking a couple of fours - but they were dismissed for 152.

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Bognor’s third team finish fourth in the division, the youngsters having got a taste of league cricket and the evergreen elders rolling back the years.

* Also in division ten west, Chi Priory Park fourths had a remarkable win over Arundel thirds.

Chi amassed 407 for two in their 40 overs thanks to 106 (retired) from Graeme Bennison and 172 from Will Parker.

Arundel were never likely to get anywhere near that total but would have hoped for better than their 81 all out, which left them with a 326-run defeat. Viren Chudasams took five for 17.

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