COXY IS FINDON'S LAST EIGHT TICKET

Playing away from Long Furlong for the first time in a national round, they were without leading wicket-taker with 29, Toby Kingsbury, their No 3 batsman, and also key left-handed upper-order bat Nick Gifford but had back, from three weeks out of cricket, airman James Iago, their leading economy opening bowler.

The afternoon was an ordeal with the numerous soaring red kites circling in anticipation of any leftover Findon carrion from a mauling by the Ridge Bears. However, the Horses pranced back from the dead to win on a picturesque ground, roughly Findon's size, around 600 feet above sea level.

Both sides preferred to bat first but not on this wicket, damp at one end. Bears' David Bird won the toss, and a superlative match was contested in the true spirit of the game.

Findon, having been 52 for six with two golden ducks, then had Bears at 49 for five. Both sides slowly recovered and Findon's superior bowling decided a cup tie of top fielding.

The Sussex champions owed everything to John Cox. With barely any runs lately, he showed typical discipline and composure after team-mates had played some debatable shots.

Mark Stewart added 49 with Cox for the seventh wicket, then capable No 11 Chris Smith 27 more for the last. Cox chastised himself for getting out for 42 with still 10 balls left: "I knew I needed to bat all the way through and we might have got, say, six more runs to make all the difference."

Bears' confident, prolific batsmen were soon in shock and two sensational catches gave Findon early and late intiatives '” Paul O'Sullivan's forward-diving, grass-heigh gully catch in the first over; then Iago's left-handed, full-blooded "sticker" in the 37th to remove Simon Bird who had hit him for five successive twos to leave 22 wanted off 19 balls. Martin Middleton (two 100s in the previous three ties), Russell Turner and Paul Brzezicki were also imperative scalps.