CRICKET: Littlehampton's promotion hopes over?

Skipper Benn Challen confirmed that Kirkham is likely to play in a match Littlehampton must win to maintain their fading promotion hopes.

From being well placed a week ago, Littlehampton now seem to have missed the boat.

Their 46-run defeat in a low-scoring match at leaders Lewes Priory on Saturday means that, with two matches remaining, they have slipped to fifth place and are 18 points behind second-placed Haywards Heath.

Challen said: "It was a very disappointing result for us. Even allowing for the ball keeping low we didn't bat very well.

"I don't regret having put them in as I didn't think we could get 200 runs for the 10 points on that wicket."

However, in the early stages of their innings, Littlehampton seemed to be cruising towards the victory which would have kept them well placed for promotion.

Chasing a modest target of 110, Chris Heberlein and Graham Blean had shared an opening partnership of 25.

The collapse started when Heberlein edged a catch to keeper Nick Seagar off the last ball of Josh Burrows' fourth over.

Burrows' fellow paceman, Simon Allan, who had broken the opening stand, blew Littlehampton off course with a hat-trick by bowling Angus Webster, James Askew and Guy Souch with the first three balls of the next over. Allan's four wickets in six deliveries had cost one run and had Littlehampton's innings and their promotion hopes in tatters at 29-5.

Suddenly Lewes' meagre total looked a winning one. Only opener Ed McGregor of the early batsmen had looked comfortable, while James Aspden and skipper Michael Murray proved the backbone of the innings with their match-winning partnership of 38 for the sixth-wicket.

Luke Vinter seemed to have justified Challen's decision to field by starting the clatter of wickets. His spell of 3-24 in a tidy 10-over stint had Lewes on the back foot.

After Webster had chipped in with a second wicket, Challen put Littlehamp-ton in control by dismissing Aspden and Allan in successive deliveries. Challen was denied a hat-trick but also accounted for Murray, who added 11 valuable runs with the tail.

Apart from a simple catch from Blann going begging in the second over, he and Heberlein had few problems. But Allan's hat-trick '” which he completed by uprooting Souch's off stump '” proved the body blow.

Challen and Dan Rive seemed to be staging a recovery until Allan shattered Challen's stumps and then had Stuart Hanks lbw in two overs to finish with 6-15.

Rive defended doggedly. Supported by Vinter and then Adam Tester he edged Littlehampton towards what proved an impossible target.

-----------------------------

Click here to return to Gazette sport.

Where are you? Add your pin to the Herald's international readers' map by clicking here.

Email the Gazette: [email protected]