A Winn win situation, but not for Middleton
Middleton v Three Bridges Sussex Premier
Middleton slipped to a home defeat to Three Bridges.
Captain Sean Heather won the toss and elected to bat on a hot and sunny afternoon.
Heather was first to depart with the score on 11. Fellow opener Harry Hovey took the fight to Bridges, hitting 61 (six fours and four sixes) until he was out with the score on 76. The wicket was taking spin and the Bridges bowlers started to dominate following the departure of Hovey.
Spinner Adam Jones (3-52) bowled particularly well and Middleton found themselves 126-5, with hopes resting on Mahesh Rawat.
Matt Reynolds and Rawat shared a partnership of 92 before Rawat fell just six short of his first home 100 of the season.
Reynolds (34no) continued to work hard but runs were hard to come by and in the 56th over Middleton declared on 239-8.
In reply Middleton bowler Tommy Davies bowled opener Regan Derham then trapped Sam Cooper lbw for 14, both in his second over, leaving Bridges on 20-2.
Connor Golding was run out with the score on 55 through quick thinking by Reynolds. But New Zealander David Winn and Joe Walker formed a 165-run matchwinning partnership. Walker was bowled by Craig Fowle for 70, but Winn stayed on to see his side home with one ball to spare, ending 113 not out as Bridges won by six wickets. Fowle ended with 3-51.
On Saturday Middleton travel to East Grinstead in the league and on Sunday they travel to Findon in the County T20 knockout. The winner will go on to play Preston Nomads in a quarter-final.
Haywards Heath v Bognor Div2
A half-century by Joe Ashmore was the highlight of a Bognor innings that fell well short of par after they elected to bat at Hywards Heath.
Ashmore struck 59 and Taylor Jaycocks (42) joined him for a fine sixth-wicket partnership but 7-31 by Benjamin Van Rensburg meant they were 152 all out.
Ashmore and Roy Kaia each claimed three victims, but Chris Blunt’s 55 carried Heath to a three-wicket win.
West Wittering v Pagham II Div 5 West
West Wittering won the toss and batted first on a luxurious track but Mark Taylor was out first ball on his return.
Wickets tumbled quickly with four in the hutch before 30 was scored but stand-in skipper Brandon Trimmer (31) and Joe Sissons (31) steadied things. Joe Pink kept up the scoring rate with a fine 45 with some help from the tail, Alex Fitzgearld (25) and Richard Hammond (10) seeing them to 196 all out.
Best of the bowlers were Aidan Drake (4-37), David Leader (3-42) and Alex Mackay (2-25).
Pagham lost regular wickets and Ian Dyer (39), Gary Young (19) and Leader (12) were the only men to get to double figures. Fitzgerald (4-18) was pick of the bowlers, assisted by Kieran Baker’s 2-5 and Sam Caddy with 2-32.
They were all out for 118.