Worthing captain Dominic Clapp was quoted in another newspaper branding Bexhill "a disgrace" for taking an overthrow on the last ball following a deflection off one of the batsmen.

Bexhill captain Jonathan Haffenden said: "As far as we're concerned, it was an unfortunate incident, it wasn't that we were trying to cheat. We asked the umpires and they said it was fine."

Hosts Bexhill went into the last delivery of this Sussex Cricket League Division Two fixture needing two runs to win with just one wicket remaining.

Richard Harrison struck the ball to mid-off and ran one. The fielder had a shy at the stumps, missed and the ball glanced off Harrison and beyond another fielder.

Harrison and batting partner Ian Ellis went back for the second run which gave Bexhill their seventh triumph in eight games.

That second run also meant Bexhill picked up an extra 15 points on a day when their promotion rivals Lewes Priory and Littlehampton both lost.

But there was a lot of ill-feeling as the players left the field, with Worthing believing that Bexhill had acted against the 'spirit of the game'.

Bexhill's first team manager Hamish Russell stated: "We honestly don't believe anything happened that was that big a deal. The umpires were happy with the way we conducted ourselves."

The drama at the end overshadowed a thrilling contest in which Worthing had earlier posted a score of 234-4.