Hastings ace heading to Sri Lanka for world finals

Hastings Priory Cricket Club's vice-captain will be heading to Sri Lanka in September for the finals of a global competition.
Elliot Hooper batting for Hastings Priory against Burgess Hill earlier this monthElliot Hooper batting for Hastings Priory against Burgess Hill earlier this month
Elliot Hooper batting for Hastings Priory against Burgess Hill earlier this month

Elliot Hooper is part of the Loughborough Marylebone Cricket Club University (MCCU) team which has qualified for the fifth edition of the Red Bull Campus Cricket World Finals.

The competition, which will run from September 5-11, brings together the best college teams from around the world. India and South Africa have provided the winners twice each so far.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Hooper played a key role as Loughborough booked their place at the world finals by triumphing in the domestic finals’ day at Haslegrave yesterday (Monday).

The left-arm spinner was Loughborough’s most successful bowler with 3-21 from his four overs, including the wicket of the opposition’s highest scorer, as Loughborough restricted Cardiff MCCU to 144-9 batting first in the final.

Left-handed batsman Hooper was also there at the end on four not out batting at number seven as Loughborough reached their target with five wickets and 2.4 overs to spare.

Earlier the same day, Loughborough had run out convincing nine-wicket winners over Durham MCCU in the semi-finals. Hooper took 1-24 with the ball and effected a run out as Durham were restricted to 113-8 before Loughborough’s top order knocked off the runs in just 10.2 overs.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

It will be the second successive year that Loughborough have played in the world finals because they also qualified for the 2015 version in India.

Hooper has come up through the youth ranks at Priory and has been a first team regular since the back end of the 2011 season, helping the club win the Gray-Nicolls Sussex T20 Cup in 2013 and promotion back to the top flight of the Sussex Cricket League last summer.

The all-rounder was the Sussex Cricket League’s young player of the year in 2013, the first of three successive seasons in which he picked up more than 30 first team wickets. He scored his maiden Sussex League century with the bat against Findon last June.

The Hastings-based player, a former Bede’s pupil, has played for Sussex at second team, under-17, under-16 and under-15 level.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Don’t miss out on all the latest breaking news where you live.

Here are four ways you can be sure you’ll be amongst the first to know what’s going on.

1 Make this website your homepage

2 Like our Facebook page at facebook.com/pages/Sport-Sussex

3 Follow us on Twitter @SportSussex

4 Register with us by clicking on ‘sign in’ (top right corner). You can then receive our daily newsletter AND add your point of view to stories that you read here.

And do share with your family and friends - so they don’t miss out!