Win keeps Priory hopes alive

Second-placed Priory are 18 points behind Premier Division leaders Horsham, who they will visit on the final day of the season next weekend.

Priory won by 51 runs at home to bottom club Pulborough on Saturday. Dave Draper hit 61, Harry Finch 47 and Kirk Wernars 46 as Priory made 229-9 batting first before Josh Poysden took 5-51 to bowl Pulborough out for 178.

Bexhill have slipped outside the two promotion places from Division Two after their six-match winning run came to an end with a 63-run defeat at Goring By Sea.

Chris Topp claimed 6-46 and Jamie Beeslee 3-45 to bowl Goring out for 144 on a difficult batting wicket, but Callum Guest (28) was the only batsmen to score more than a dozen as Bexhill were shot out for 81 in reply.

Sidley went from fourth to first in Division Three (East) on the back of a six-wicket victory at home to Ansty and will clinch the title if they win their last match.

Paul Swannell, Chris Deeprose and Steve Ramsden took three wickets each as Ansty were dismissed for 124 batting first. Swannell top-scored with 32, and John Haffenden and Paul Thompson hit 28 each, as Sidley got home.

Crowhurst Park did Sidley a favour by beating previous leaders Hellingly. Ed Smissen made 37 and Clive Tong 28 in Park’s total of 141, but Hellingly could only muster 128 in reply with Victor Walcott taking four wickets and Rakesh Patel three.

Full reports on each of these matches and final day previews will appear in Friday’s Observers.

Standings - Premier Division (all played 18 matches): 1 Horsham 401pts, 2 HASTINGS PRIORY 383, 2 Preston Nomads 362, 4 East Grinstead 316, 5 Roffey 278, 6 Brighton & Hove 254, 7 Eastbourne 250, 8 Chichester Priory Park 241, 9 Three Bridges 204, 10 Pulborough 200.

Division 2 (all played 17 matches): 1 Worthing 349pts, 2 Glynde & Beddingham 331, 3 BEXHILL 320, 4 Goring By Sea 312, 5 Haywards Heath 300, 6 Cuckfield 291, 7 St James’s Montefiore 250, 8 Stirlands 213, 9 Ifield 212, 10 Lewes Priory 196.

Division 3 (East) (all played 17 matches): 1 SIDLEY 326, 2 Hellingly 318, 3 Ansty 306, 4 Lindfield 304, 5 Seaford 302, 6 Burgess Hill 298, 7 Keymer & Hassocks 291, 8 CROWHURST PARK 290, 9 Uckfield Anderida 255, 10 Crawley 205.