New Senior Player Profiles

I have added a whole load of player profiles to the seniors' page. These need checking by your good selves and suggestions made for improvements.

I would appreciate any photos of you in cricketing action too, if you have any, otherwise I will have to go around with my camera instead of netting - gutted!

Any suggestions or photos need to be sent to worthingcc@yahoo.co.uk.

Senior Fixtures 2012

All the senior fixtures are now on the website in the seniors section.

Click here to take a look, although they need a little aesthetic tinkering, but the matches are there.

The website has had a bit of a revamp, so do take a look.

Winter Nets News!

Keep your eye on the blog and the website for news on Winter Nets for both seniors and juniors!

Coming soon...

Junior Batting Kit Available

Tim's got many pairs of pads and gloves,  youth sizes and right hand only, on sale for £15 pair of pads and £10 pair of gloves. All brand new mainly UZI and Aegis models. Got about 30 pads and 60 gloves. Will make great Xmas presents and are an absolute steal.

If you are interested contact Tim on 07974 830781. First come, first served.

Movember 2011

It’s Movember, the month formerly known as November, now dedicated to growing moustaches and raising awareness and funds for men’s health; specifically prostate and testicular cancer. I’m donating my top lip to the cause for 30 days in an effort to help change the face of men’s health. My Mo will spark conversations, and no doubt generate some laughs; all in the name of raising vital awareness and funds for cancer’s affecting men.

Why am I concerned about men’s health?
*1 in 9 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime
*This year 37,000 new cases of the disease will be diagnosed
*1 in 2 men will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime
*26% of men are less likely to go the doctor compared to women

I invite you to join me by registering to grow or by donating to my support of the Mo http://mobro.co/lutters

If you want to go old school you can write a cheque payable to “Movember”, reference my name and Registration Number 1388336 and send it to: Movember Europe, PO Box 68600, London, EC1P 1EF

Funds raised will help make a tangible difference to the lives of others. Through the Movember Foundation and our men’s health partners, The Prostate Cancer Charity and The Institute of Cancer Research, Movember is funding world class awareness, research, educational and support programs which would otherwise not be possible.

For more details on how the funds raised from previous campaigns have been used and the impact Movember is having please click on the links below:
About Movember
Prostate cancer genome mapping
Prostate Cancer Foundation research
Global Action Plan

Thank you in advance for helping me change the face of men's health.

We've Had Worse!

Senior Awards Evening 2011

A good night was had by all at the Vintners.

Log onto our Facebook page to see some pictures of the evening:

http://www.facebook.com/worthing_cricket_club

Mark Butcher in Shoreham

Mark Butcher will be performing live at the Ropetackle Arts Centre in Shoreham on 11th October.

As far as I'm aware it's free, so get yourself along there and see him play guitar!

Senior Presentation Evening

Don't forget the Senior Presentation Night on the 30th of Septemberat the Vintner's Parrot.

Anyone who's played in the senior teams could be awarded a trophy, so miss it at your peril!

Tim has promised to sort out a free buffet too, so even if you don't win you get a free feed!

Dinner - 19.11.11

If you have booked your place at the dinner at Casa Ciro's (and tough if you haven't, due to the fact that it's full), then please get your menu choices to Justin Watts as soon as possible by emailing him on wattsyja@hotmail.co.uk.

A copy of the menu can be found on the front page of the club's website: www.worthingcc.co.uk

3.9.11 - 2nd XI v Pulborough

A fitting end to a great season for the 2s as they notched up their 13th win of the season and secured the title alongside their promotion.

Skipper Justin Watts won the toss and elected to bat, piling up 200 for 6 in just under 46 overs. Bradley James scored 77, Alex Harris 32 and Tom Lund 57 not out.

In reply Pulborough got off to a good start but were pegged back by the spinners Harry Dunn (3 for 30), Mason Crane (2 for 23) and Nick Gunning (1 for 45) before Shane Felton came on and mopped up the tail to end with figures of 4 for 44 with Pulborough still 30 runs short of their target.

A fitting end to an excellent season.

Scorecard

3.9.11 - 1st XI v Bexhill

The 1s were 29 points ahead of Bexhill before the game began, so just needed to prevent their host from achieving maximum points in order to guarantee promotion. And that was all they managed as Worthing, having opted to bat, declared on 65 for 9, leaving the home side to knock off the runs in 10.4 overs without the loss of any wickets.

A sad end to what has generally been a terrific season, culminating in the league title and the opportunity to play in the Premier League next season.

Scorecard

27.8.11 - 5th XI v Clymping 2nd XI

WORTHING CC 5XI WSICL DIVISION 9 CHAMPIONS 2011

The end of the season has come quickly and a very important game for both Worthing and Clymping. Clymping needed to win to gain promotion, Worthing needed to win for the title assuming Horsham beat St Andrews.
The day started well with Worthing winning the toss! Putting Clymping in to bat we knew we would have to bowl well and try to restrict Clymping as much as possible. Greg Harris (4-41) started well taking three early wickets. Jack Stuart (0-35) provided good back up to Greg but unfortunately took no wickets himself. Gareth Challen (110) brother of our 1st teamer Benn, batted very well again to get his second century against us this year. A close stumping built some pressure and a couple of chances went down from Challen. Kevin Punter (2-44) created some good chances and took two wickets, including a good one handed catch from Adam Bastable at silly mid off. Challen was eventually out swinging at a ball outside off stump which span back in from Adam Squires (2-55) [guess who wrote this report - Ed], this was quickly followed in his next over by a similar ball which was left by the batsmen...only for it to come back in and take the top of off stump again. Greg Harris got  yet another run out for the season with a great throw from the boundary, well taken by Marc Hinton behind the stumps. Dan Stuart took two catches and Glenn Harris one. Jack Westlake (1-7) bowled a terrific first over wicket maiden, with a catch from Greg Harris going away from him at gully. Clymping 189 all out.

After tea we started the run chase needing 190 from 51 overs to win the title! A steady start from Adam Bastable (15) and Kevin Punter (65*) put us in good shape. The innings continued to get better and better with a fantastic knock from Glenn Harris of (78) from just 57 balls got us to within 37 of the win. Dan Stuart (19*) batted well with Punter, who steadied the innings from start to finish with a few big shots on the way. Stuart and Punter got the remaining runs to win the match finishing the innings at 190-2

Thanks to Rob Harris for umpiring and Robson Piper for scoring. A great match to end to a very strong season, which sees the 5th team take Worthing's second league title this year! It was a great feeling for all to secure the title at the manor ground with the 1st team on the main square offering their congratulations as soon as we finished. Thanks to everyone who has been there this season helping us gain promotion and a title. Some great individual performances to go with team efforts all year meant we went into every game thinking we were capable of winning, and managed to stay in 1st or 2nd in the table all season. Horsham Trinity picked up their 30 points against St Andrews meaning if we had drawn or lost to Clymping that we would have finished second.

Good luck to the 1s and 2s this week on their promotion/title challenges!

Scorecard

28.8.11 - U15s v Arundel

U15 Match Report Worthing v Arundel 28th August
Worthing (157 for 7 after 25 overs) beat Arundel (68 all out after 24.1 overs) by 89 runs

Worthing U15s secured the WACA Bowl League title making it 4 wins in 4 as they put on an impressive performance with bat and ball in their final match of the season. Worthing won the toss and elected to bat against an Arundel side fielding a few up and coming players that will no doubt be making their mark in the future. Worthing got off to a solid enough start putting on 27 for the for the first wicket, James Allen going on to achieve a retirement score playing solidly for his 25. The run rate reached new heights while Ollie Carpenter and Nick Ballamy were together with both batsman reaching their retirement scores in under 20 balls. Arundel's opening bowler Keelan Shoulders bowled well to taking 1 wicket in his 5 overs for just 18 runs while Sam Temple picked up 3 wickets with his brand of off-spin but there was no holding Worthing as they charged on passing 150 in the 24th over.

With an almost impossible target to beat, Arundel scored quickly from the off but the fall of the 1st wicket in the 4th over signalled a batting collapse as the next 6 wickets fell in as many overs. Martyn Swift set things in motion with 2 wickets in three balls but it was Sam Greenrod, who did most damage, coming away with 5 wickets for 16 runs on the day. Sam Temple offered some resistance for Arundel achieving his own retirement score but even a brief rain shower in the latter half of the innings couldn't prevent the inevitable as Worthing closed out the match in the final over when Harvey Von Biel took a catch at backward square for the last wicket. With Pagham confirming they are unable to honour their fixture, Worthing finish unbeaten at top of the table. Well done boys, take a well earned rest.

Scorecard

27.8.11 - 1st XI v Stirlands

A stuttering end to the end season continued as the 1s got a draw at home to relegation threatened Stirlands.

Stirlands won the toss and opted to bat on a wet wicket from heavy rain the previous day. A lightning start was exaggerated by some ill-disciplined bowling, but Benn Challen (4 for 66) and Michael Gould (5 for 48) managed to bowl the visitors out for 215 in 40 overs of off-spin.

The reply got off to a slow start as Worthing lost 5 wickets cheaply, but Andy Reid (69 not out) and Stuart Carter (49 not out) saw Worthing up to a respectable 193 for 5 at the close.

With one game to go Worthing require 2 points to clinch promotion and 13 to win the title.

Scorecard

27.8.11 - 2nd XI v Stirlands

A heavy shower just as the players were heading out caused the abandonment of this game, but this means that Worthing need just 2 points to clinch the title in next week's fixture at home to struggling Pulborough.

20.8.11 - 4th XI v Brighton & Hove 4th XI

A close game at the Nevil here as the home side snuck over the line with just one wicket to spare. Worthing were inserted and managed 155 all out, with Aaron Tugnutt top scoring with 53, and Nick Oxley 32.

In reply Oxley took 3 for 67 and Barry Cool claimed 3 for 34 whilst Adam Bardouleau and Joe Westlake took a wicket each, but ultimately they didn't get enough runs. A great season and promotion is confirmed as champions!

Scorecard

20.8.11 - 3rd XI v Brighton & Hove 3rd XI

A terrific game this one as Worthing fell just 6 runs shy of their target against a strong Brighton and Hove side. Batting first B&H scored 227 all out in 40 overs, with Martyn Swift claiming 4 for 54, Nick Ballamy 3 for 15 and Mayur Patel 2 for 56. Jack Stuart took the other wicket.

In reply Worthing's batting all chipped in with Josh Goldsmith scoring 38, Kevin Punter 24, Patel contributing with the bat with 59, Lloyd Crathern 19 and Ballamy 27, but they lost their final wicket on 222, falling just short.

Scorecard

20.8.11 - 2nd XI v Goring

Another thumping win for the 2s, this time by 8 wickets as Worthing bowled out their visitors out for 160 then made short work of reaching their target.

Mason Crane took 4 for 53 and Dave Leader 2 for 0, with Shane Felton, Brad Lewis and Harry Dunn all taking a wicket each.

The reply saw Tim Dunn out for 14, but Lewis hit 41 before Alex Harris (52 not out) and Dave Rogers (34 not out) saw the team over the line.

Scorecard

20.8.11 - 1st XI v Goring

Another disappointing week where Worthing failed to chase down Goring's 207 for 8 to gain victory and clinch promotion. Ollie Rogers was the pick of Worthing's attack claiming 4 for 27, with Darryll Rebbetts, Nick Gunning, Benn Challen and Luke Vinter all picking up a wicket a-piece, but an unbeaten 50 from Goring's number 9 will have been a bit deflating.

In reply a few got starts but failed to push on to the target, with Rebbetts ending on 68 not out, Rogers 25 not out, Dominic Clapp 26 and Bradley James 21.

Two games to go and one win will do, but on current form that could be easier said than done!

Scorecard

21.8.11 - U16As v East Grinstead - SJCF Fianl

Worthing (150 for 9 after 45 overs) beat East Grinstead (118 All Out) by 32 runs

It was Worthing and East Grinstead who emerged as best group winners from their respective pools and who would battle to be outright winners for this prestigious trophy. In accordance with tradition, the U16s Bowl final would be played at Arundel Castle, a fitting setting for this county-wide-tournament, not won by Worthing since 1993.

East Grinstead won the toss and elected to field hoping to take advantage of some morning dampness. East Grinstead’s two opening seamers, Ben Davies and Will Taylor, bowled tight lines as Worthing’s batsmen found runs hard to come by. But Worthing’s opening pair of Harry Dunn and Bradley Lewis continued their good form with the bat this week, keeping the score ticking over at a steady pace until the 7^th over when Bradley was undone by a good length delivery. East Grinstead quickly introduced Nathan Bailey into the attack and soon had Worthing further on the back foot as he bowled with pace and accuracy, taking 3 wickets in quick succession as Worthing slumped to 59 for 4 in the  19^th over. Meanwhile, Worthing’s Dan Stuart, who came in at the fall of the first wicket was beginning to amass a score which would ultimately be critical to Worthing’s total. By lunch the score hard reached 75 with Dan on 27 at the end of the 29^th over

The resumption saw Worthing’s Ollie Carpenter immediately take the attack to the bowlers as he hit 3 fours in the first over of the afternoon session. However, two wickets in as many balls from East Grinstead’s Josh Hampson again hindered Worthing’s progress as Worthing looked to build a defendable total in the closing overs. Supporting knocks from Martyn Swift and James Allen gelled nicely with Dan Stuart’s fine batting performance as he passed his own 50 mark in the 41^st over. Dan continued to play superbly until the end of the innings, seeing Worthing grab a valuable 35 runs off the last 5 overs and while the total of 150 from their allotted 45 overs seemed low it did at least give them a total to bowl at.

The East Grinstead innings started with some drama as Martyn Swift opened the attack for Worthing only to see Ben Davies get dropped on his first delivery and then bowl their No.2 with a yorker with his second. Despite this, East Grinstead took the attack to Worthing, scoring in good time, Ben Davies making the most of his opportunity, playing nicely off his front foot including one tremendous six over long on. One further wicket for Martyn Swift and leg-spinner Mason Crane had done little to dent East Grinstead’s progress and by the time the game had reached the tea interval at the end of the 22^nd over, East Grinstead were in a strong position at 92 for 3 with Ben Davies on 40 not out.

The final session saw a change to the shape of the innings and to Worthing’s fortunes as their spinners began to take hold. Having bowled well all week, taking 27 wickets between them, the triumvirate of James Allen, Mason Crane, and Harry Dunn again proved. Today it was the turn of James Allen to take the plaudits in a spell that saw him take a match-winning 6 wickets for 17 runs. With 2 wickets going down straight after tea, it was the crucial wicket of Ben Davies, finally out for a fine 51, which proved the turning point. His departure at the fall of 7^th wicket to a perfect leg cutter with the score on 114 left too much for East Grinstead’s remaining batsmen. James collected the last three wickets and, deservedly, the Man of the Match award for his efforts.

And so, in the final analysis, Worthing won by 32 runs to take the trophy back to the seaside town but credit must go to both sides who won through to the final; an achievement in itself in a county where cricket is still a strongly contested sport and played in the best of traditions by many junior players at all levels across Sussex. As such, a big thank you must go to the SJCF Committee, Arundel Castle C.C., all participating clubs, helpers and parents for making this tournament what it is. Long may it continue.

Scorecard

18.8.11 - U16As v Steyning

Worthing (178 for 5 after 42 overs) beat Steyning (159 All Out) by 19 runs

The weather conditions for Worthing's final match and group decider against Steyning, were at best gloomy and with rain threatening later, it was no surprise that Worthing, having lost the toss (also no surprise) were asked to bat. Harry Dunn and Bradley Lewis again lead the innings taking the word 'steady' to new unexplored territory as Worthing eased their way past 20 in the 13th over. But in a strategy that has served the U16s well this week, they along with Dan Stuart, Worthing's No.3, provided a solid foundation on which to build. When Harry Dunn was out for 43, crowning an excellent week with the bat, the score had reached 75 in the 26th over allowing Harvey Von Biel and latterly Nick Ballamy to push the accelerator. Between them this pair hit 10 boundaries in an unbroken partnership of 74 for the final 12 overs; Harvey scoring 38 in 36 balls and Nick 44 in 39. Mixed with some excellent running between the wickets, they took the score up to a creditable 178 off the allotted 42 overs.

Steyning suffered an early set back losing their power-broker in the 3rd over to one of 3 catches bagged by Bradley Lewis on the day. Their next wicket wasn't to fall until the 29th by which time their score had risen to 105 and Worthing's spinners Mason Crane and James Allen had bowled well enough to keep the run rate down and the pressure up. With the chance of an outright win for Steyning slipping away the target of 162 to secure a winning draw became their objective. As the bat began to swing and running between the wickets became ever more frantic the wickets started to tumble. With one ball remaining Steyning required a 4 for the winning draw while Worthing needed one wicket for an outright win. As it was Nick Ballamy had the final say claiming his 7th stumping off the week as Nick Gwilliam's valiant innings of 28 came to an end. All in all, it has been a fine week for this side punching well above their weight against some good opposition. The fate of the gods will now decide whether they achieve the ultimate prize of a final spot at Arundel castle on Sunday.

Scorecard

17.8.11 - U16As v Horsham

Worthing  (198 for 7 after 42 overs) beat Horsham (178 All Out) by 20 runs

A tightly fought game saw Worthing achieve their 3rd win of the week with another good all round team performance with everyone playing their part. Having lost the toss, Worthing were invited to bat and true to form, Worthing's openers, Harry Dunn and Bradley Lewis built a steady opening partnership against some good bowling. Two quick wickets in the 12th over brought Harvey von Biel to the crease as he set about scoring possibly his best innings for the club. His 51 in as many balls got Worthing's innings back on track aided and abetted with by Robbie Anderson (14) and Ollie Carpenter (12) who both played good supporting roles. When Nick Ballamy came out to bat at the fall of the 5th wicket, Worthing's score was 131 in the 31st over. By the end of the innings he had scored 44, including 8 boundaries, and taken Worthing's score to a decisive 198.

Horsham got off to a flyer intending to make short work of Worthing's total. By the 10th over the score had reached 74 albeit for the loss of two wickets, as Horsham's batsmen set about Worthing's seamers. And so it was to be that once again the spinners would hold sway. The trio of Mason Crane, James Allen and Harry Dunn all made life difficult on a turning pitch and today it would be the turn of Harry to take the headlines with a match winning spell of 5 for 24. Some of the fielding is worthy of note, particularly Martyn Swift's sharp catch at mid-wicket, Harvey von Biel's well judged catch at deep square and again Nick Ballamy's impressive work behind the stumps including two stumpings. Some of it was less so, with at least 7 chances going down and a number of glaring mis-fields all of which added to the tension as Horsham continued the run chase. For a while their No.9, Nick Klein, looked as though he might get them there but as he ran out of partner's so did his patience as he made one charge down the pitch too many. A good match to watch but Worthing will need to work on their fielding if they are to get to the very top.

Scorecard

Under 13s SJCF Report 2011

Aaron Tugnutt                           Shehram Shafiq                         Jonny Gallagher                  Samuel Rae

Jack Dunn                                    Sam Moss                              Jack Harrison                   Lewis Moores

George Burgess                           Dan White                              Callum Rudrum               Karl Sengebusch

Nick Oxley                               Alex Hinchcliff                            Sam Greenrod                  Ryan Kelly

Robson Piper                             Michael Baird                             Josh Wood

Day One

Horsham (H)

Day one saw the boys play Horsham at the Manor Ground; a team that they had never played before but were told would be tough to beat. 

Horsham won the toss and put us in to bat first where Sam Moss top-scored with a solid batting performance, reaching 38 from 88 balls before being caught. Aaron Tugnutt and Jack Dunn also batted well; scoring 26 and 27 respectively.

Worthing made 148-7 from 37 overs.

Horsham were no match for our bowling attack; Aaron took 3 wickets for 8 runs, Sam Moss took 1 for 8 runs, Dan White took 2 for 6 runs, George Burgess took 2 for 4 runs and Jonny Gallagher took 1 for 13 runs. We bowled Horsham out for just 94 runs in 28.3 overs; a brilliant start to the week for the team.

Day Two

Bognor (A)

Day two took us to the Regis Oval to face a strong Bognor team.

We won the toss and our captain, Aaron, chose to bat first. However, this was to backfire spectacularly because two interesting LBW decisions saw the back of both our openers; Jack not managing to score a run. Only Aaron and Bognor’s extras got into double figures as our batsmen struggled to 71 all out from 21.3 overs.

With little to do, Bognor got the runs in less than 10 overs but not before Karl bowled one of their county players.

Bognor won by 8 wickets.

Day Three

Chichester (H)

After recovering from the crushing defeat the previous day, the boys faced Chichester at the Manor. We lost the toss and the opposition chose to bat first. They began well but a fine catch by Jack Harrison off the bowling of Aaron meant they were one wicket down in the third over. 

Runs came steadily but so did the wickets; two for Sam Greenrod and one for Jack Dunn. Then, Aaron asked Robson to bowl one over so George could change ends, this turned out to be a good decision. He took two wickets in two balls but was unable to make a hat trick. Nick continued to bowl well and finally managed to take a wicket in his last over. Robson bowled three overs and took three wickets whilst Jack Harrison took their last wicket in his first over. Chichester were all out for 133 from 32 overs.

Robson opened the batting with Aaron and lasted four overs before being bowled for 5 runs. Aaron stuck it out scoring an impressive 38 runs. However, it was Nick who top-scored, getting his first 50 of the festival, eventually being caught on 53 from 68 balls. Jack and Sam finished off, scoring 19 and 2 respectively.

Worthing won by 7 wickets.

Day Four

Preston Nomads (H)

Nick Oxley won the toss and chose to bat first against Preston Nomads. Their opening bowlers looked good and a frustrated Aaron took a swing at a straight ball and was bowled. Again, the batting performance was poor all round apart from Nick, who tried to steady the innings but just kept losing partners. He scored 59, including sevens 4s in his one hour and fifteen minute innings before being caught. Worthing were 114 all out in 29.5 overs.

The total was not enough; despite one wicket each for Robson and Sam Rae, we couldn’t stop the runs coming. Nick bowled well in his second spell, taking two wickets and definitely proving himself to be Worthing’s player of the match. 

Preston Nomads won by 6 wickets.

Day Five

Arundel (A)

The last day of the festival saw Worthing playing away at Arundel, where they faced very short boundaries. Arundel won the toss and chose to bat first; a good decision on their part.

Aaron, Sam Greenrod, Sam Moss and Dan all struggled against their openers, not taking a wicket until the eighteenth over. This came in the form of a good catch from Robson off the bowling of Jack Dunn. It was Robson again who threw the ball to run out their other opener.

Sam Rae took the next two wickets with a brilliant spell of bowling, taking two wickets for 15 runs from five overs. Between them, Robson and Sam slowed the run rate right down. Then Aaron saw a bit of spin in the pitch and brought Josh Wood on to swiftly clean up the tail, taking four wickets for 23 runs. Arundel completed their thirty seven overs on 179-9.

Aaron and Sam Greenrod opened the Worthing innings and Sam hit four 4s off the first over. Aaron batted steadily but Sam went in the fourth over for 18. The next four wickets fell quickly, then, in came Sam Rae to share a partnership with Aaron of 39 despite facing some very aggressive bowling. Aaron was eventually caught on 41 but Sam stayed to share another partnership, this time with Robson, worth 32 runs. His wicket finally fell on 37 from 40 balls and the rest of the Worthing tail fell in quick succession.

Arundel won by 34 runs.

Thank you to all the parents who came to support us during this long, five day festival and in particular to Ann Tugnutt for our fabulous teas.

Under 14As SJCF Report 2011

·         Mason Crane

·         James Allen

·         Aaron Tugnutt

·         Jamie Piper

·         Nick Oxley

·         Jakob Heryet

·         Rob Piper

·         George Burgess

·         Tom Armstrong

·         Karl Sengebusch

·         Josh Appleton

·         Josh Wood

·         Sam Moss

Day 1

Middleton (H)

A home match against Middleton. On a very hot sunny day Mason won the toss and decided to bat, and that’s what he did for 2 hours & 20 minutes with Aaron Tugnutt. Both batsman gave a catching chance each which Middleton failed to take. They both got their 100’s from 107 balls. Aaron first and then Mason 3 over’s later. Aaron 106 no and mason 102 no with a partnership of 243 which Worthing declared on.

It was still very hot when Worthing went out to field.  Jamie Piper and Aaron Tugnutt opened the bowling while Josh Wood Kept wicket. They bowled tidily but it wasn’t until the 8^th over that Aaron finally made the breakthrough with a nice catch from Jakob Heryet. On came the spin twins Nick Oxley & Mason Crane and in their 11 over spell they took 5 wickets leaving James Allen, Tom Armstrong and Jamie  to finish off the tail. Nick finished with figures of 3-16, Mason 2-11 and Tom 2-7. Middleton were all out for 108 in 26.4 over’s.

Worthing Won by 135 runs & Max points gained.

Day 2

Findon (A)

Mason won the toss again and again chose to bat. Worthing changed openers with James Allen and Jakob Heryet. No luck for Jake today brought nick to the wicket. James and Nick batted steadily in the heat before Nick was bowled on 13. Mason took over but was caught on 16.Aaron started where Mason left off and he and James took the score past 100. James got his 50 from 74 balls before he was given out LBW on 71 from 106 balls. Aaron didn’t hang about and with great support from new batsman, George Burgess, he reached his 50 in 36 balls. He top-scored for the second day running on 79, including 13 4s, from 55 balls. Worthing declared on 203 for 7 after 39.2 overs.

Findon went into bat and had no answer for our opening seam attack of Jamie and Aaron. Jamie bowled their number one batsman with his 5^th ball. Between them, the two seamers bowled out the top four batsmen by the end of their spell. Jamie with figures of 3 for 18.

Findon showed no resistance; the rest of the wickets fell in quick succession with one for Nick, two for James, two for Jakob and the last wicket for Karl. In total, Findon managed just 66 runs, giving Worthing a victory of 137 runs and maximum points. The early victory gave the team time to make it back to the Manor Ground in order to watch Yolanda’s under 14s win as well.

Day 4

Day three was a chance for all the boys to have a rest as they had no match but day four was an unplanned break; the weather was atrocious and so no play took place.

Day 5

Bognor (A)

Today would decide who would go through to the finals, Worthing or Bognor. Mason won the toss again for the third time this week and decided to bat. He opened alongside Aaron but they both found it hard to get the ball away. Bognor had pitched boundaries in the car park so 4s and 6s were out of the question.

Finally, in the seventh over, Aaron got going when he went after their opener. He tried it again in the ninth over, having hit three 4s in a row but his luck ran out; he was bowled for 22. James Allen then came to the crease and in a joint effort with Mason, put on 95 runs in 30 overs. James was eventually bowled on 47 and Mason was caught two balls later.

Worthing scored 142-4 from 42 overs.

Bognor started slowly, as we had done, due to some tight bowling and some effective fielding from our younger boys Tom, Robson and Jakob as well some very good stops from Callum and Karl. However, it was when the 14 year olds took to the floor that a breakthrough was made. James managed two wickets in two balls in his first over, then, with the help of Aaron’s spectacular, one-handed, diving catch, he got the wicket of Bognor’s county player. This was the decisive moment for Worthing as it began Bognor’s collapse.

Jamie took one wicket, Nick bowled very tidily, James finished with four wickets for 13 runs and Mason took the last three batsmen in his last over, finishing with figures of five wickets for 13 runs.

A fantastic 79 run win for Worthing.

Finals Day

Cuckfield (Away at Eastergate CC)

So the newly formed, one week only, under 14 bowl side made it to the final which was held at Eastergate CC against a very strong Cuckfield side. Unfortunately, the boys would have to go into the match without Jamie, who broke his arm on Friday evening.

Mason won the toss yet again and chose to bowl. Cuckfield did not hang around and got stuck into our openers early on. Both Aaron and James persevered, allowing them to take early wickets; James with the help of a difficult catch from Robson. Nick also bowled beautifully and took two key wickets. Worthing’s bowlers finished with two wickets to Aaron, three to James and two to Mason. Again, the boys showed great concentration in the field, making some good stops and a particularly accurate throw from Sherri got him a great run out. Cuckfield were all out for 157 from 35.1 overs.

We opened with Aaron and Sherri, followed by Mason but all three were out by the third over. Poor batting performances were shown all round; only James Allen managed to make it into double figures. In fact, James stayed for 21 overs before being caught on 48 runs.

Cuckfield won the final by 67runs.

Well done to all the boys who took part in this festival, finishing runners up, you all worked very hard. Thank you also to all the parents who helped the boys and showed their support; we could not have done it without you.

16.8.11 - U16As v Stirlands

Stirlands (154 for 9) lost to Worthing (155 for 1) by 9 wickets

Worthing sealed back-to-back wins performing strongly with both bat and ball away at Stirlands in their 2nd match of the week. Having been asked to field, Martyn Swift and Nick Ballamy started strongly for Worthing, again bowling tightly to restrict Stirlands to just 24 after the first 11 overs. In response, Stirland's No.3, Ed Clarke, took up the challenge and opened up with some fine front-foot stroke play. At 91 for 1 in the 27th over Stirlands were well positioned to post a large total. However, Clarke's departure on 68 signalled a mid-order collapse as Mason Crane once again helped himself to 4 wickets while Nick Ballamy claimed 3 victims behind the stumps having switched duties mid-innings. Despite a late rally by Stirlands, with some free-style batting, a total of 154 at the end of their allotted overs was less than what should otherwise have been.

In reply, Harry Dunn lead the Worthing innings from start to finish, playing as well as at anytime for his club and posting an undefeated 81; his best score at any level. Opening bowler, Robert Clarke found some pace in the pitch which on another day may have earned a wicket, but from hereon, Worthing's batsmen dominated the innings. Harry, ably supported by Bradley Lewis; the two openers rarely looked troubled and after a steady start found batting very much to their liking. Bradley was eventually caught out in the deep for 43 but by this stage, with the score on 124, there was only going to be one outcome. Worthing eased past the target at the end of the 29th over as Harry struck his 8th boundary of the day.

Scorecard

15.8.11 - U16A v Chichester

U16 Bowl Match 1: Worthing (148 All Out) beat Chichester (123 All Out) by 25 runs

Worthing finished as victors from a game played in contrasting conditions and which for a long while could have gone either way. Worthing, having won the toss, chose to bat, starting the game in bright sunshine on what proved to be a slow wicket. With runs not coming easily, opener Harry Dunn set about building an innings that would ultimately provide the backbone of the innings and by the time he departed on 73 with the total on 140, his innings, including 9 fours, would prove pivotal to the outcome of the match. Robbie Anderson (16) and Harvey Von Biel (15 not out) played nice cameo innings alongside Harry but a madcap final 2 overs saw Worthing lose their last 4 wickets in quick succesion, including a hat-trick from Chichester's Elliott Davies as Worthing tried to boost their total.

By the resumption the sun had been replaced by overcast an murky conditions and Worthing's opening bowlers, Martyn Swift and Nick Ballamy bowled well enough to keep Chichester down to just 15 off the first 9 overs. The murky conditions were soon replaced by some light drizzle as Worthing's spinners took control of the game. Mason Crane and James Allen bowled in tandem in the 2nd half of the innings as Chichester tried to up the run rate but on a troublesome pitch and in difficult conditions the wickets started to fall. Ollie Greenless (42) starred with the bat for Chichester but when he was out for the 7th wicket the game was up. To Chichester's credit, they continued the run chase but to no avail with Mason and James both finishing with 4 wickets apiece.

Scorecard

13.8.11 - 5th XI v Horsham Trinity 3rd XI

The away match to 2nd place Horsham Trinity and having won by just one run in the home match we looked to win more convincingly away.
I won the toss on a sloping damp wicket and decided to field. We bowled well taking all ten wickets for just 111 runs. J.Belton (4-25), J.Stuart (3-25), J.Westlake (1-18), J.Dunn (1-6). Jack Dunn also got his second run out in two weeks with catches going to A.Bastable, Glenn Harris, N.Harris x3 and J.Stuart x2.

Needing 112 to win we felt confident even on a difficult wicket but lost wickets regularly to some good bowling from T.Chappels (4-27). A.Bastable (8), N.Harris (1), A.Squires (1), H.Reeves (4), J.Dunn (2), J.Stuart (5), J.Belton (3), J.Westlake (0). The resistance came from Mark Reeves (6*) from 44 balls, A.Culver (18) and a great knock from Glenn Harris (33) who looked like getting us home. Unfortunately we were all out for 99 missing out on a batting point by just 1 run.

We picked up just 10 points to Horsham's 20 meaning we are 21 points clear of them but Horsham have got a game in hand. This result means we need 2 points from our last game, or West Blatchington to drop 2 points in either of their last two games to secure promotion...Almost there!!! The title will go to the last game and could be between 2 or 3 teams depending on the Horsham vs Clymping result next week with us on our free week. A low scoring draw in that game would be ideal!

Thanks to Mark Reeves for filling the 11th player slot on the day and batting well to give us a chance of getting there, Barry Squires for offering to fill in if needed and supporting anyway, and to Debbie Squires for scoring.

Scorecard

13.8.11 - 4th XI v St Andrews 2nd XI

A draw for the 4s and they remain top of the league by 28 points.

The hosts batted first and scored 251 for 7. James Aylen took 2 for 54, whilst James Allen, Adam Bardouleau and Jack Stuart all took a wicket each.

Worthing got 155 for 7 in reply with Lloyd Crathern scoring 44.

Scorecard

13.8.11 - 3rd XI v Storrington

A heavy defeat in what can only be described as a "bad day at the office" for the 3s.

Storrington batted first and scored 234 for 7 with Mayur Patel taking 2 for 51 and Joe Westlake 2 for 8. Tom Chambers, Martyn Swift and Kevin Punter took a wicket each.

The chase never really happened as the 3s collapsed to just 64 all out, with Ed Wyeth top scoring with just 17.

Safety is all but guaranteed but not a great result!

Scorecard

13.8.11 - 2nd XI v St James - PROMOTED

With three games remaining the 2s secured promotion with an easy win over St James at the Manor.

Worthing won the toss and elected to field, which proved to be the correct decision at the visitors crumbled to 92 all out. Paul Westlake took 4 for 37, Shane Felton 3 for 31 and Mason Crane mopped up the tail with 3 for 7 off 4.2 overs.

The chase saw Worthing lose just 3 wickets but Tim Dunn used his years of experience in scoring 48 not out and was ably assisted by Alex Harris who hit 30.

The Premier League beckons in 2012!

Scorecard

13.8.11 - 1st XI v St James

An improved performance but a game that felt like a bit of a waste for the first eleven.

St James won the toss and inserted their visitors only to see Worthing pile on 239 for 6 declared after 52 overs on a slightly two paced wicket. Michael Gould hit a quickfire 54, Ben Chambers a fluent 79, Darryll Rebbetts a solid 40 and John Kaye blasted 36 not out including 18 from the final over.

St James started brightly but never really looked like going for the target of 240, ending up on 188 for 8, meaning that they only managed to get 6 points from the game compared to Worthing 14. Ollie Rogers bowled well in claiming 3 for 32 and Ben Challen 3 for 48, with Andy Lutwyche and Luke Vinter taking a wicket apiece. The veterans of the side are worth a mention as John Kaye took a lightning stumping off Rogers and Andy Lutwyche took a flying left-handed catch at wide mid-off.

The result still leaves Worthing at the top of the league 43 points ahead of Bexhill in second and 52 points ahead of Glynde in third with 3 games to play.

Scorecard

6.8.11 - 5th XI v West Blatchington 2nd XI

Playing at Fernhurst as we did not know if Hill Barn would be playable, West Blatchington batted first in a damp start to the day and scored 222 for 9. Alex Dodsworth scored a fluent (67), Tom Thresher came in with some aggressive hitting for (43), Reece Packham held the innings together with (41). Greg Harris (1-84), James Belton (3-62), Andy Culver on return from injury bowled well (3-30), Jack Westlake again bowled with good pace and accuracy in his spell (1-22). A.Culver took a great one handed diving catch at square leg, M.Hinton took one behind the stumps and N.Harris took two out in the field. Jack Dunn remained calm and made a good run out.

We lost early wickets in the appearing sunshine in the run chase. Bastable (0), Quintais (1), Glenn Harris (28), N.Harris (13). Jack Dunn batted well and saw off some good bowling to score (21), A.Culver (19), M.Hinton (0), J.Belton (6), J.Westlake (3). Leaving Greg Harris (59) and A.Squires (15*) to try and finish the job, 10th wicket partnership needing about 50 to get us there came up just 9 runs short of the win, 214 all out.

A real shame to lose a match that really we deserved a draw or better, but 13 points from a possible 15 for the loss means we are 33 points clear of Horsham in second place who have now had their free week. Two games to go against second and third in the table means the title is still in our hands!

Scorecard

6.8.11 - 4th XI v Hangleton

A comfortable win for the 4s at East Brighton Park, with some great performances from young players. Worthing were put in by the hosts and it looked like a good decision until Harvey von Biel (59) and Nick Ballamy (48 not out) came in to push the total up to 266 for 8 from just 46 overs. Continuing good form from the festival Aaron Tugnutt got 34 and Alex Anderson hit 31.

Hangleton crumbled to 184 all out with Ballamy taking 4 for 32, Sanjeev Kalra 2 for 39 and Sam Greenrod 2 for 20. James Allen took the other wicket as Hangleton could only muster ten players.

The result keeps them top of the table with two games to play.

Scorecard

6.8.11 - 3rd XI v West Chiltington and Thakeham

A confident 3s took on top of the league West Chiltington and Thakeham and so nearly beat them in what proved to be a real nail-biter at the Manor.

Having lost the toss Worthing were put in and quickly in trouble until Ed Wyeth (50) and Mayur Patel (38) steadied the ship and got the side up to a respectable 200 for 8 in their 49 overs.

The visitors relied heavily on the hard-hitting Brian Chambers (64) and Grant Morrish (88) but had little else to offer with willow in hand as Patel claimed 3 for 54, Matt Thorne 3 for 43 and Kevin Punter 2 for 23. Joe Westlake took the other West Chilt wicket.

A great result and it all but guarantees survival.

Scorecard

6.8.11 - 2nd XI v Chichester

A terrific win against 2nd placed Chichester all but guarantees promotion for the 2nd XI, but they will be thanking the return to action, and form of Dave Rogers who smashed 110 not out from just 80 balls in Worthing's total of 238 for 7 having been put in by the home side. Only Tim Dunn (36), Alex Harris (33) and Justin Watts (28) really bothered the scorers to any great extent otherwise.

Chichester were all out of 204 in reply as Mason Crane took 6 for 66 and Harry Dunn 3 for 38 in what was clearly a trial by spin. Paul Westlake took the other wicket but a win next week at home to St James assures promotion, but captain Watts will insist upon going up as champions.

Scorecard

6.8.11 - 1st XI v Cuckfield

Not the best performance from the side with a few key players missing (Michael gould, Luke Vinter and Andy Reid) in this fixture against fellow promotion chasing Cuckfield. The visitors won the toss and elected to bat, getting off to a great start finishing up with 249 for 5 declared from their 53 overs. Benn Challen took 2 for 78 whilst Andy Lutwyche, Nick Gunning and skipper for the game Darryll Rebbetts all took a wicket each. Some dubious fielding did the home side few favours.

Worthing's reply was a stuttering affair as only Challen (22) and Brad James (38) offering any real resistance, although under 16 Brad Lewis batted very well in his 52 ball 6. Worthing closed on 136 for 8 in what was a forgettable day at the office.

Worthing still top the league by 40+ points but need to get back to winning ways to assure promotion.

Scorecard

Under 12 SJCF Report 2011

Nick Oxley(c)
Jakob Heryet
Dan White
Sam Moss
Robson Piper
Tom Armstrong
Josh Wood (w/k)
Karl Sengebusch
Dan Turner
Jack Harrison
Tristan Parfitt
Harry Page
Sherri Shehram
Liam Davies
Alex Hinchcliff.
On the first day of the under 12 festival, Worthing went to Brighton and Hove knowing they would have a difficult game as they have never beaten Brighton & Hove. Nick won the toss, as he did everyday of the festival week, and chose to bowl. Sam Moss and Robson Piper opened the bowling with the first wicket being picked up by Sam with just his fifth ball.
Nick Oxley picked up two key wickets with two spectacular throws for run outs. Dan White, Jakob Heryet and Nick came on and also bowled well. Dan picked up two wickets in two balls including there number 4 batsman who had eluded all bowlers since over 2 with a very good stumping by stand in wicket keeper Josh Wood. Dan finished with figures of seven overs, thirteen runs and four wickets. Brighton and Hove were bowled out for 98 in 23.2 overs; a very nice start for Worthing.
After tea, we went into bat feeling confident that 98 was not a big score to chase with 46 overs to do it in. Unfortunately, we were 3 wickets down by the fourth over with just 7 runs on the board.
When Jakob came to the crease to join Nick the runs started to come and it looked, for a while, like we were going to turn it round. But then Nick tapped the ball up to a fielder and was caught, scoring just 12 runs. Jakob worked hard and even managed to hit a 6 but his wicket fell on 24 runs. Only Dan White managed double figures as the rest of the tail fell, leaving Worthing all out on 71 and the worst possible start to the week.
Brighton and Hove won by 27 runs.

Next day, the boys went all the way to Three Bridges where Nick put the opposition into bat. They started well but again Sam was too good for them, taking their first wicket with the help of a confident catch from Karl Sengebusch. The wicket looked to be favouring the batsman and it took a very fine throw from Tom Armstrong to run out one of Three Bridges' county players.
Rob bowled a very good five over spell, taking two wickets for 17 runs, as did Nick, getting two wickets for 14 runs. Worthing's fielding was a bit up and down on the day but the stand out fielder was Karl, with nothing getting past him.  Three Bridges batted for 37 overs and got 139 runs for 6 wickets.
Worthing went into bat, not looking as confident as the previous day. Our first four batsmen found runs were hard to come by and by the 12th over we were on just 25 runs with 4 wickets down. Then on came Jakob Heryet, who batted beautifully, ably supported by Sam Moss . They put on 63 runs together before Sam was caught on 10.
Dan Turner came on to bat playing another good supporting role to help Jakob get to 50 from 59 balls. Dan scored the winning runs, finishing on 10 not out and Jakob finished on 63 not out from 68 balls. Worthing won by 5 wickets.

Day four brought Steyning to the Manor Ground where Nick decided we should bat first and looking for maximum points, he opened with Dan White and the in-form batsman Jakob.
Jakob did not hang about, scoring his 50 in the first 45 minutes from 32 balls. Jakob's wicket fell on the first ball after drinks for 57. Worthing's boys batted well with Dan White scoring 11, Sherri Shehram 21, Sam Moss 22, Jack Harrison 10 and Alex Hinchcliff 10. They were all out on 161 runs from 31.2 overs.
Worthing were again, very good in the field and our bowlers were all on good form with a wicket each for Sam, Rob and Nick and two for Jakob. Dan White came on in the 17th over bowling his loopy leg spin; he finished off Steyning taking their last five wickets in 3.1 overs. He finished with figures of 5 runs and 5 wickets. Worthing won by 87 runs.

The last day of the festival brought Roffey to the Manor Ground and Worthing once again batted first.
We opened the batting with Dan White and Karl Sengebusch who started steadily, seeing off the Roffey openers. Karl was eventually caught in the 16th over after a partnership of 51. Dan continued to bat steadily; Sherri came and went for 16 runs off 16 balls. Dan eventually hit a ball in the air and was caught on 34 from 73 balls. Jakob worked hard for his runs and with Sam, put on a very good partnership of 46 before the overs were up. Jakob finished on 43 not out and Sam on 16 not out, putting Worthing on 152-4.
Roffey went in to bat and started well but it was again Sam who took the first wicket in his second over. The second wicket did not fall until the 13th over when Roffey were already on 77 runs. Nick bowled a lovely spell, taking 3 wickets for 12 runs off 7 overs. This slowed Roffey right up, along with some very good and enthusiastic fielding, especially from Sam, Tom and Karl and Josh behind the wicket. Dan was having no luck with the ball so Nick brought back openers Sam and Jake. The Roffey middle order and tail had no answer for their brilliant quick bowling, allowing Jakob to finish with figures of 2 wickets for 19 runs. Sam was the star bowler though, taking 5 wickets from 6.4 overs hitting the stumps every time. Worthing won by 36 runs.
Unfortunately one loss and three wins was not good enough to get us to the final. Congratulations to Jakob for his two 50s and also to Dan White and Sam Moss for their 5 wicket hauls. Thankyou to all the parents who came to support us and a huge thank you to Hayley and Julie for our lovely teas.

30.7.11 - 3rd XI v Barns Green 1st XI

A third win on the trot for the 3s as they pulled further from the drop zone with a win against Barns Green. Having won the toss the 3s elected to bat and Bradley Lewis scored a magnificent 88 not out opening the innings. He was ably supported by Tom Lund (75) and Mayur Patel (26 not out) as the innings closed on 244 for 3 declared.

In reply the hosts could only manage 199 with Patel the pick of the bowlers with 4 for 74. Kevin Punter took 2 for 39 with Martyn Swift and Dave Leader picking up a wicket each.

Onwards and upwards!

Scorecard

30.7.11 - 4th XI v Barns Green 2nd XI

A convincing win for the side as they thrashed Barns Green by 10 wickets.

The visitors won the toss and elected to bat but were unaware of the threat of a turning pitch and Lloyd Osland's off spin (yes, you did read that correctly). The skipper finished with 5 for 41 whilst Shane Felton claimed 3 for 37 and Nick Oxley and Jamie Piper took a wicket each as the Barns Breen Innings closed on 160 all out.

The reply only required two willows as both Aaron Tugnutt and Lloyd Crathern both scored 76 not out.

The win keeps them top of the table and favourites for promotion for the second season running.

Scorecard

30.7.11 - 5th XI v Rustington 2nd XI

Away to Rustington 2XI who are always a joy to play with an unchanged side and I won the toss! Electing to field first J.Stuart (1-14) made the early breakthrough in the second over. Greg Harris (3-30) then joined in in the fifth over. The batsmen then began to settle to pace a bit so I brought myself on (2-12) to take the pace off the ball and got J.Weaver (26) third ball in my spell LBW. J.Belton took (3-18), H.Reeves (0-24) and L.Hinton (1-27). Catches went to L.Hinton and J.Quintais x2...the first of Josh's was at slip diving to his right taking an awesome one handed catch! The Rustington innings finished 127 all out.

After tea we started well needing 128 to win and A.Bastable continued his good form from last week getting another fifty (59*), J.Quintais looked ok but was out LBW for five  . Glenn Harris came in at three and scored a quick fire 20. This left N.Harris (36*) to finish the job with Bastable who batted well as a pair scoring freely to get us home in the 26th over to win by 8 wickets.

A very solid performance by Worthing with 3 wins out of 3 for the day!!! We regain the lead in the table with our 30 points, Horsham only managing 2 points in a draw with West Blatchington, who we play next week in another home away from home fixture at Fernhurst.

 Scorecard

23.7.11 - 4th XI v Serendib 2nd XI

A disappointing result for the 4th XI as they lost to Serendib 2s, who as a result closed the gap on them at the top.

Having been put into bat by their host Worthing made 237 all out thanks in the main to Barry Cool's unbeaten 165, but aaron Tugnutt batted well to get himself 25 and Dan Stuart with 12 being the only other people to score double figures or more.

The hosts reached their target with 6 wickets gone with James Aylen taking 3 for 38, San Wookey 2 for 26 and Cool himself taking the remaining wicket.

Scorecard

23.7.11 - 2nd XI v Ifield 2nd XI

"Never put Ifield in at Ifield" were the words of Ifield 2s skipper as Justin Watts opted to field first having won the toss. By 7pm the answer to that statement was "Why not?" as Worthing cruised to a comfortable 8 wicket victory and opened up an 84 point lead on third placed Haywards Heath.

Mason Crane's 4 for 29 and Paul Westlake's 2 for 42 were the main destroyers as Ifield limped to 141 all out from 50 overs - an innings that will struggle to attract too much of a crowd to Ifield Green in the future. There was a wicket each for Tom Chambers, Harry Dunn and Stuart Carter.

Worthing's reply stuttered initially with the losses of Dave Marshallsay and Stuart Carter for 9 and 0 respectively, but a cool 75 not out for Chairman Tim Dunn and a form rediscovering 46 not out from Alex Harris with 14 overs to spare.

Scorecard

23.7.11 - 3rd XI v Scaynes Hill 1st XI

A fantastic win against the odds in this must win game saw Worthing move further away from danger in the league.

Worthing bowled first with the pick of the bowlers being Dave Leader with 4 for 14 and skipper Kevin Punter taking 2 for 28. There was a wicket each for Joe Westlake, Martyn Swift and Matt Thorne as the visitors posted 188 all out.

The drama was to come as Worthing batted though and they looked dead and buried at 56 for 6 and 134 for 7, but a match winning 95 not out from Dave Leader saw his side over the line with a six.

These are the sorts of performances that the side has been expecting all season but to hold your nerve in that sort of situation is a superb effort for Dave and the team, and congratulations to skipper Kevin Punter.

Scorecard

23.7.11 - 1st XI v Ifield

Another victory after the previous week's wash out for the side as they moved 84 points ahead of third position, albeit with Haywards Heath having a game in hand.

Heavy rain throughout the week meant that the groundsman had little opportunity to get onto the square but a good, if slow wicket greeted both teams. Worthing won the toss and inserted their visitors.

Accurate bowling and good fielding made runs hard to come by for struggling Ifield with Luke Vinter taking 4 for 43 from 17 unchanged overs and Andy Lutwyche 5 for 57. Benn Challen picked up the other wicket with 1 for 6 off 4 overs as Ifield crawled to 142 all out.

Worthing made heavy weather of their reply but achieved their target with six wickets down as Darryl Rebbetts (41*) and John Kaye (17*) saw them over the line. Contributions came from Dominic Clapp (34), Michael Gould (16) and Challen (21).

A free week next week but Worthing will still be well clear of the field at the top of the table.

Scorecard

23.7.11 - 5th XI v Felbridge & Sunnyside 3rd XI

Back after a week off for rain we had a local…home game at Felbridge and Sunnyside…Thanks to our pitch at Hill Barn being in an unusable state thanks to travellers at Hill Barn!

Many thanks to the Felbridge Captain Steve Lovell and his wife Debbie for helping with arranging the pitch and the teas, without them I don’t think we would have had a facility to play at.

We started by being given the toss as most of our team went to the wrong ground and both captains agreed it made sense for us to bat first. Adam Bastable (89) and Jack Stuart (62) opened well and gave us a great start with an opening stand of 158. Adam Squires in at number 3 for the first time in a while did a solid job scoring (37*). Other useful runs from Neil Harris (21), Marc Hinton (11) and Glenn Harris (7*) helped us to a total of 236-4 declared after 47 overs.

After tea, which must have been good as it all went quickly, Felbridge started their chase. Jack Stuart (1-11) made the early breakthrough with the left handed opener chipping one just over Squires who took the catch going backwards at mid on. Greg Harris started well (5-36) was wicketless in his first spell but came back and cleaned up the lower order with some accurate full deliveries. James Belton (2-24) had another good day at Hook Lane and bowled Paul Aldridge who was looking like he could see them to a draw. Harry Reeves bowled with good pace again and took a good (1-23). Luc Hinton got the prize scalp of the Felbridge captain taking (1-2). Other catches from Neil Harris, Harry Reeves and Jack Stuart.

A very strong performance and very good fielding sees us take another 30 points and still remain 8 behind Horsham who also picked up a convincing win.

 Scorecard

Pool Table

The club now has a pool table - 50p per game. Ask behind the bar.

Current World Number 1: The Pirate aka Lutters.

Nice!

16.7.11 - All Games

Due to the rain, all games were cancelled.

Good use was made of the new pool table though!

9.7.11 - 2nd XI v Glynde & Beddingham

An extremely convincing win for Worthing against promotion rivals Glynde. Having been put in the visitors collapsed to 71 all out with Shane Felton claiming a career best 8 for 37 from 15 overs.

Worthing lost the wicket of Dave Marshallsay (24) in their chase but Tim Dunn (29*) and Stuart Carter (6*) saw them safely over the line and into the bar by 4.30pm.

Worthing now top the league but have played a game more than Chichester in second place. Both teams look favourites for promotion.

Scorecard

9.7.11 - 1st XI v Glynde & Beddingham

Worthing got a taste of their own medicine as they went down to Glynde on Saturday. Having won the toss Michael Gould opted to bat on what looked a good wicket, albeit with a bit of grass coverage. The Glynde bowlers made good use of the juice available and quickly made inroads with only Gould (38), Andy Reid (32), John Kaye (15), Andy Lutwyche (19) and Luke Vinter (13 not out) the only people get into double figures, but a total of 151 looked reasonably competitive on a pitch that appeared to be full of seam movement.

The seam movement was far less exaggerated for Worthing's bowlers who toiled unsuccessfully as Glynde made their target just 4 wickets down in 44 overs.

The winning run had to come to an end at some point and Glynde are favourites to join Worthing in the top two at the end of the season.

Scorecard

9.7.11 - 3rd XI v Dome Mission

Worthing moved off the foot of the table with this vital first win of the season against Dome Mission. Finally the batsmen put up a decent total for the bowlers to bowl at.

Worthing won the toss and elected to bat, compiling 190 for 9 from 49 overs, with Mayur Patel, making his debut for the club scoring 58, Jamie Carter 32, Lloyd Crathern 19 and Matt Thorne and Steve Pearse 17 each.

In reply Dome Mission fell 23 runs short with Patel again starring with 3 for 49 alongside Joe Westlake's 3 for 24 and Sanjeev Kalra's 2 for 21.

This should lead to a surge up the table with some big games coming up!

Scorecard

9.7.11 - 5th XI v Pulborough 3rd XI

Starting the day 8 points behind Horsham Trinity at the top of the table we looked to keep the pressure on with another win.
I won the toss and put Pulborough in to bat, Greg Harris (4-61) bowled well and created chances early with the Pulborough batsmen being very aggressive with their shots. J.Stuart (1-27) provided a good partnership with Greg and kept the runs tight picking up a wicket in his final over. Pulborough looked to have settled a bit to the seam up bowling so Glenn Harris (1-20) on first change with some leg spin picking up a good wicket clean bowled. H.Reeves (1-11) bowled a great spell with good pace and rattled the batsmen, bowling a good short ball, shakily played by the batsmen to J.Quintais at slip who took a good catch. A.Squires (2-4) bowled an interesting first over with a ball down the leg side, then two good spinning deliveries followed by an inspired full toss which was skied to Marc Hinton for a solid catch. J.Belton (1-1) finished the innings off well bowling five deliveries to pick up the final wicket leaving Pulborough 135 all out in just 31.5 overs. Another week where fielding was good, and if we want to win the title we need to continue our good form in the field.

After tea A.Bastable (4) and J.Quintais (16) started the chase. Wickets fell at regular intervals with some interesting moments through the innings making it another tight finish, one of these weeks our top order will all fire again saving the pressure late on, our fourth tight finish in our last five games, wins of 2 wickets, 1 wicket, 1 run, 2 wickets and a draw in between! N.Harris (26) was a bit unlucky when he was out hitting it to slip, who fumbled it about 3 or 4 times before finally holding on, L & M.Hinton (15 each) both hit some good boundaries, A.Squires (9) caught mistiming a full toss. The main stay of the innings was Harry Reeves (39*) showing us what he can do and seeing the team home with a great innings, J.Stuart (4*) also looked solid at the end hitting a great shot for four to hit the winning runs!

Thanks to Andy Culver for umpiring and lets hope the team can continue our winning ways next week at 3 Bridges with the captain missing the game through work. Horsham Trinity also picked up the full 30 points against 3 Bridges so maintain their 8 point lead at the top of the table.

Another good week for Worthing picking up 4 wins out of 5 and congratulations to the 3s on picking up their first win of the season!

Scorecard

2.7.11 - 4th XI v Broadbridge Heath 2nd XI

A youthful Worthing 4th team took to the field against Broadbridge Heath on Saturday and  although they lost still remain 23 points clear at the top of the league. In posting just 139 all out they gave themselves little to bowl at, although Lloyd Crathern dug in for a form rediscovering 80 to hold the innings together.

Heath lost just 4 wickets in their reply, but the side shouldn't be too downhearted as it was literally men against boys, and our lads gave a good account of themselves.

I will try to post a more in-depth report when the scorecard goes online.

Scorecard

2.7.11 - 2nd XI v Haywards Heath 2nd XI

Another solid performance to keep Worthing in the promotion places after a 7 wicket victory over Haywards Heath. Heath won the toss and elected to bat making 211 for 8 and declaring with 2 overs remaining presumably feeling that they had enough. Wickets were shared around with Mason Crane claiming 2 for 48.

They were on the wrong end of Stuart Carter's bat however as Worthing's number 3 smashed 99 not out to see his side home as well as 63 from Dave Marshallsay and 27 not out from Tom Lund.

Worthing are now 62 points ahead of Glynde in third place having played a game more.

Scorecard

2.7.11 - 5th XI v St Andrews 3rd XI

The second half of the season started with us in second place 8 points behind Horsham Trinity.

Playing against mid table St Andrews I lost the toss but got what we wanted bowling first. Greg Harris (4-33) back from holiday was straight on it clean bowling S.Ager second ball of the innings! Marc Hinton's fielding was terrific and made a number of great stops, the batsmen then made off for a suicide single hitting the ball straight to M.Hinton...I can only assume they thought he would misfield or forgot he was a fielder?!? But Marc made another good stop and throw to Neil getting a great run out early on. H.Reeves (1-30) on first change and struggled a bit at the start of his spell but found his aim and looked ok getting a good LBW. Marc Hinton then made an even better run out with a good stop, and then a direct hit aiming at one and a bit stumps throwing whilst having a sit down. Captain Squires on and bowled with great accuracy taking 1 for just 7 runs from 8 overs.  L.Hinton bowled well in his first game of the year and deserved a wicket. Glenn Harris (2-27) gave the ball good flight and tempted the batsmen into a few shots to finished off the innings.
St Andrews 146 all out in 41.5 overs.

After tea we started the chase and looked strong until Glenn Harris (8) was out caught. J.Quintais (27) then fell to a good catch at mid off from a very strongly hit drive. Wickets feel consistently through the innings with N.Harris (26), M.Hinton (13), L.Hinton (17), H.Reeves (17). Both Hinton's and H.Reeves hit clean sixes to add to the excitement. We were 116-8 and it was left to A.Squires (21*), Greg Harris (17) and J.Belton (0*) to try and see us home. Squires and Harris looked comfortable and played everything on its merit hitting anything wide for 4 and keeping out the straight ones, a bit on worry set in briefly when Greg was bowled from a yorker that seamed back in with the scores level. Belton kept out the next two balls from C.Tucker (6-41) to leave skipper Squires facing spinner S.Ager (3-42). The first two balls of the over were on the stumps and kept out, third ball outside off and a swing and a miss! Fourth ball of the over was a nice full toss outside off and dispatched hard for four through the covers to secure the victory!

Worthing win another close game and remain second in the table 8 points behind Horsham Trinity who also picked up the full 30 points.

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2.7.11 - 3rd XI v Broadbridge Heath 1st XI

Another loss for the 3rd XI but plenty of positives to be taken once again, with a weakened side due to lack of availability. Worthing were put in by Heath and made 194 for 9 as Barry Cool top scored with 72 and Matt Payne and Jim Aylen chipping in with 22 apiece.

Heath got to their target 8 wickets down with a spirited bowling and fielding display from Worthing. Aylen took 3 for 69, Matt Thorne 2 for 82 and Sanjeev Kalra 2 for 25.

There are some must-win games coming up if the 3rd team can avoid the drop, but with availability seemingly Ok for next week, things may well be turning a corner.

Scorecard

2.7.11 - 1st XI v Haywards Heath

Worthing opened up a 69 point lead at the top of the league with a convincing victory over second placed Haywards Heath. Having won the toss and electing to bat, Heath slumped to 135 all out with Benn Challen taking 5 for 17 and Andy Lutwyche 4 for 63. The pressure of a tidy line and length from the Worthing attack told as Heath had to rely mainly on quick singles to get the scoreboard ticking.

In reply Worthing reached their target with just one wicket lost, as skipper Micahel Gould found his form again (Heath must be sick of the site of him) with a powerful 63 not out, Dominic Clapp scored 23 and Benn Challen accrued 35 not out in their leisurely pursuit of the target.

That's 6 wins on the trot for Worthing who must be favourites for the Division 2 title now, especially with Cuckfield losing to Goring.

Scorecard

29.7.11 - U15s v Goring U15s

Goring (98 for 4 after 20 overs) lost to Worthing by 10 wickets (99 for 0 after 16.3 overs)

A fine Summer's evening greeted the teams at Fernhurst Drive for Worthing's 2nd U15 league game of the season. On what proved to be a favourable batting wicket, Worthing's opening seamers, Martyn Swift and Jamie Packer, bowled well restricting the home side to just 20 after 6 overs. However, a hefty amount of short-pitched bowling followed, allowing the runs to flow more easily. Two retirements from Harry Anstead and Alex Jones got the Goring innings back on track which was further boosted by Sam Edney with a quick fire 15 off 14 balls. By the end Worthing were looking a little flat in the field unlike Goring's total which had risen to 98.

Worthing's reply started steadily but once openers Harry Dunn and Aaron Tugnutt got into their stride, their was only one outcome. Between them they found the boundary on 7 occasions and by the time they had both retired out, the total had reached 72. And so it was that Martyn Swift and Robbie Anderson would knock of the last few runs to conclude a strong win for Worthing albeit with some areas to work on in the bowling and fielding departments.

Scorecard

25.6.11 - 5th XI v Clymping 2nd XI

Back after a week off, Worthing looked to stay top of the table. After winning the toss we put Clymping in to bat on a flattish wicket that looked like it would do something early on. Clymping started well giving no real chances in the first 7 overs or so making use of the small boundary. The ball was doing a few things and J.Stuart (1-42) bowled well restricting them in the first few overs. D.Stuart (2-30) on first change at the pavilion end started to create some chances, Dan then got one to sit up a bit and L.Dean (23) middled a flat one to the diving skipper at mid off. This brought in Gareth Challen (Brother of our 1st teamer) who scored a very good 125 with only a couple of errors early in his innings nearly chopping it on twice. Harry Reeves was next best bowler to Dan taking (1-20) from his 7 overs bowling with good pace cleaning up the Clymping captain with a very good yorker. Fielding was very good throughout with catches from J.Quintais, N.Harris and A.Squires x2. Clymping finishing on 259-6 which was about par for the wicket. Other wickets went to J.Belton (1-45) and Glenn Harris (1-60).

The Worthing chase didn't begin well losing Glenn Harris (0) to a great delivery from Wadington (2-20), and J.Quintais (8) early. A.Bastable (41) and N.Harris (54) got us back into the game and put on 80 together keeping well on top of the rate. After losing Bastable and Harris it was up to A.Bardouleau (53*) making an appearance from the 4th team and S.Wookey (26) to continue, they batted well together and we looked like getting the total, but Sam was out caught in the closing overs. At this stage the rate was starting to become a bit more difficult but D.Stuart (21*) made a good effort late on to give us a strong finish. Unfortunately we finished up just 235-7 but at least made sure of the draw. Slightly disappointing to only pick up 7 points but wickets were hard to come by and the draw ensures Clymping did not pick up too many points to catch us by much.

The result drops us to second in the table at the half way stage 8 points behind Horsham Trinity and 16 points clear of Clymping. A strong second half to the season could well see us finish in the top spot!

Scorecard

25.6.11 - 2nd XI v Stirlands

A convincing win to consolidate 2nd place for the twos. A struggling Stirlands side inserted Worthing ahving won the toss only to see Tim Dunn score 125 not out and Brad Lewis score 75 as they posted an imposing total of 231 for 2 from 44 overs.

In reply Stirlands stalled to just 92 all out as Harry Dunn took 5 for 7 off nine miserly overs and Shane Felton and Stuart Carter took two wickets each.

Scorecard

25.6.11 - 1st XI v Stirlands

A lot of rain produced a slow but decent cricket wicket, which is only to be expected at the superb ground in Birdham. Having won the toss Michael Gould opted to bat, which looked like it could have been an error as the side collapsed to 121 for 8. Dominic Clapp continued his run of good form with a well crafted 51, but the middle order failed to deliver apart from Benn Challen's 16 and Samrat Sengupta's 27 in his final game for the game before he heads back to India.

The tail wagged though in the form of Luke Vinter (30*) and Josh Goldsmith (20) who put on 51 for the 9th wicket and saw the side progress to 172 all out.

The bowlers got into the home side's batting quickly as they tumbled to 34 for 7, Luke Vinter the main destroyer with 5 for 18 and Andy Lutwyche 2 for 29, but Worthing struggled to finish the innings off until Benn Challen took 2 for 15 and then on the final ball of the game Stirlands number 11 Tebb squirted one to Clapp at gully, but wandered out of his ground before the quick thinking Clapp threw down the stumps to win the game for the league leaders at the last gasp.

Scorecard

22.6.11 - U15s v Bognor

Worthing 114 for 4 after 20.0 overs beat Bognor by 14 runs, (100 all out after 18.5 overs)

Worthing travelled to Bognor for their first U15 league match of the season curtailed to 20 overs per side enforced by the strained efforts of the management team to race across the county during rush hour in a valiant attempt to beat the setting sun. Worthing duly won the toss and elected to bat first. Harry Dunn gave the visitors a positive start, scoring a sprightly 24 before he was out in the 7th over with the score on 38 . Martyn Swift (25) and Robbie Anderson (26) both played steadily forming a good partnership in the core of the innings taking the score towards the 100 mark before they both retired not out as the innings moved towards its conclusion. Ollie Carpenter entered the fray and injected some quick fire hitting including a near 6, straight back over the bowlers head. When Ollie was out for 17 off just 8 balls at the end of the 20th over, Worthing's total had reached a respectable 114.

Martyn Swift's opening spell of 4 overs for 10 runs set the tone as Bognor set about the chase. Always slightly behind the run rate, the key to the match would be in the 2nd half of the innings; could Bognor hold their nerve or would Worthing's fielding crumble under the mounting pressure. In the end it would be Worthing's bowlers who would prevail; Harry Dunn's match turning 5 wickets for 15 proving decisive as Bognor's lower order fell away. Aaron Tugnutt with the gloves did particularly well  once more claiming 4 stumpings including that of Bognor's only retirement, Ollie Adams, who returned at the fall of the 9th wicket only to dash it all away as he charged down the pitch in the fading light. Despite some occasional lapses in the field by Worthing, this was a well won victory against two evenly matched sides for which the boys should be congratulated.

Scorecard

18.6.11 - 3rd XI and 4th XI v Brighton and Hove 3rd and 4th XI

The 3's were backing a new skipper on Saturday in Kevin Punter, who has taken on the role in Jim's absence.
On an amazingly blustery day over at the Nevil, Kev won his first toss and inserted the opposition. Joe Westlake opened the bowling with Kevin and Joe had immediate success. Joe bowled superbly all day and was rewarded with his for 5 wicket haul. He produced excellent figures of 5 for 28 off 10 overs of which 7 were very much into the wind. You could see that the 3rd's have plenty of ability but at present just lack a little confidence in everyone's own ability. Kev brought the chaps together very well which was demonstrated by having Brighton go from 140 odd for two to 8 down at the end and only 201 on the board, there was belief in the field, catches started to be taken and even R Cool followed that by having a direct hit run out. Confidence in the field was returning. We felt this was very gettable, all we needed was partnerships. The batting started very cautiously which seemed to show the confidence bit. The innings never really got going and regular wickets kept falling. After a patient start Lloyd Crathern showed his ability by playing some great drives and placement. The whole batting just seemed to lack confidence. the ability is VERY much there. Having never batted with Lloyd before it was clear he has plenty of ability just needed the belief. Everyone has the ability in the team. Results will come I have no doubt. The confidence will return. Kevin led the team well, focusing on the team ethic, supporting each other. Even being at the other end of the ground all the players were there to watch and contribute to the game. Although the scores didnt reflect it, the 3's are very close to winning. You'd be more worried if anyone felt we were not good enough but we very much are good enough. Form is one ball away, its one wicket, one catch, one boundary away. everyone in the team has the ability we just need the belief we can deliver. If Kev keeps the ethics going it will come. Two wins would put the 3rd's mid table so there is plenty to be hopeful about.
In the meantime Lloyd carried on what he did last year whenI couldn't play, WIN. He needs to believe he can do that week in week out as he does win n a regular basis. Adam B continues to impress with the ball as he took a well deserved 5 wickets to demolish the Brighton innings for 77. Worthing made light work of the total in getting to another 30 points consolidating the position at the top of the league. If selected the Cool's can come back and support the teams continued development. It is a good time at present for the club with 4 teams top of their divisions and the 3rd's ready to launch forward. This year we must have have high hopes. Teams are winning, junior's are performing throughout the club so its a good time.

18.6.11 - 2nd XI v Goring

The seconds consolidated their position in the promotion places with a nervy 3 wicket win at Goring. Justin Watts won the toss and put Goring in. They were bowled out for 177 with Paul Westlake picking up 3 for 59 on his return from injury and Shane Felton 6 for 47, including a hit-wicket when the wind blew the batsman's cap onto his stumps!

The Worthing reply was going smoothly as Tim Dunn (48), Dave Marshallsay (14) and Bradley James (34) made headway, but a middle order collapse  left the team at 124 for 7. A captain's knock from Watts of 39, with support from Harry Dunn (14) saw them over the line.

Scorecard

18.6.11 - 1st XI v Goring

A potential banana skin averted as the first team extend their lead at the top of the table with what can only be described as an annihilation of local rivals and Division 2 newcomers Goring. It was a historic first league meeting between the two teams and one the visitors will want to forget in a hurry.

Heavy overnight rain meant a soft and slow track, and Worthing skipper Michael Gould opted to insert Goring having won the toss. This paid off as Goring slumped to 67 all out in 33 overs with only Matt Keen able to reach double figures. Luke Vinter took 5 for 15 and Andy Lutwyche 5 for 40, both in 16 overs.

The reply lasted just 15 overs as Ben Chambers scored 19* and Dominic Clapp, in his first game of the season, looked like he'd never been away with a commanding 42*.

A 10 wicket win and a very early finish before the rain arrived was just what the doctor ordered!

Scorecard

12.6.11 - U16s v Findon U16s

Findon 109 for 7 after 20 overs lost to Worthing by 6 wickets, 110 for 4 after 17.1 overs

Persistent light rain was the backdrop for this match which perhaps should never have started but the willingness of the visitors to get the game underway had to be admired only if to question their sanity. With an agreement to shorten the game to 20 overs to give the teams more than an even chance of completing the match it was Findon who won the toss and chose to bat. As the rain continued, Findon amassed a commendable 109 off their 20 overs as Worthing struggled to control the ball in hand. Jamie Packer's 3 for 26 plus a sharp run out off his own bowling was the pick of Worthing's attack while M.Spokes and G.Meeney both achieved retirement scores giving Findon more than a fighting chance of victory.

Worthing had an ominous start when they lost their first wicket in the opening over but soon recovered as Dan Stuart joined Bradley Lewis at the crease and runs started to flow. Both were going nicely until they were each run out, presumably losing site of the their partners and the ball in the gathering gloom. The arrival of Luc Hinton and Harvey Von Biel, nonetheless, would prove to be the match winning partnership and by the time they had departed, both had achieved retirement scores and taken the score to 98 for 3; Harvey having hit five boundaries and Luc smashing a 6 over mid-wicket with the last shot of his innings. M.Spokes bowled well for Findon taking 2 for 16 but Aaron Tugnutt had the pleasure of hitting the winning runs in the 18th over as, mercifully, the game reached its conclusion.

Scorecard