Cup setbacks hittopclubs

Roffey and Horsham will need to put cup exits behind them if they’re to start their Sussex Premier League campaigns on the front foot this weekend.

Both our top local teams fell at he frst hurdle in the league’s T20 Cup competition, Horsham losing to division three side Pagham and Roffey going out at Bognor.

Horsham were all out for 129 chasing 179 to win at Pagham.

They’ll need to sharpen up when they visit Hastings Priory for their premier division opener on Saturday.

Skipper Nick Oxley conceded: “It was a very disappointing result for us – we fell short in every department.

“Unfortunately we struggled to field a strong side. Pagham batted well on a good wicket, and we found it difficult to protect the short boundary, which cost us 50/60 runs.

“Overall it wasn’t a good day for us - we’ve always enjoyed playing in the cup finals at Hove.

“Now we’re looking to re-group and give Hastings a good game when we go there for the start of our Premier

League programme on Saturday.”

Roffey were beaten by Bognor, a side they’ll be facing in the league this summer following the Regis Oval outfit’s promotion from division two last year.

Bognor batted first and scored 162-7 before Roffey’s response fell 20 short.

Roffey skipper Matt Davies told the County Times: “It was annoying to go out in the first round again after similar disappointment last year.

“We didn’t bowl well and we dropped four or five catches, and shouldn’t have allowed them get over 160.

“We batted okay, but if we’d had taken our chances and kept them down to 130/140 it would have been a different story.

“Its early season, but we’ve got to do better and will be training hard this week because we need a good start in the league.”

Roffey’s premier opener is at home to Brighton.

Praised by Davies for top-scoring for Roffey in the cup loss, Theo Rivers added: “We got close but they out-fielded us, which left us too much to do. It was frustrating as it was things that we should have controlled that were our undoing.”