Hastings coach praises '˜job well done' in cup win

Sussex Cricket League Premier Division side Priory won by 51 runs away to Division Three East outfit Seaford on a very chilly Saturday afternoon at The Salts.

Gillespie said: “It was a job well done, very pleasing. It was a positive result and never really in doubt. We showed good depth to the batting and I think it was a very good team bowling performance - and we supported our bowlers very well in the field.”

Priory lost the toss and were asked to bat by a Seaford side which had the benefit of playing on the wicket earlier in the afternoon during its preliminary round victory over Hellingly.

A good all-round innings enabled Priory to set the victory up by posting 167-7, comfortably ahead of the 140 or so which Gillespie considered to be around par.

Although Priory lost captain Tom Gillespie for five with the score 17, James Pooley (39 with one four and three sixes) and new boy Greg Devlin (26 with three fours) forged a solid second wicket partnership of 62 in good time.

The pair played some explosive shots and took full advantage of the loose balls, but Pooley also used all his experience when the ball was keeping quite low and moving around a bit.

Alfie Lloyd-Dyke (27 with three sixes) and Jake Woolley (17 with three fours) added 36 for the fourth wicket to take Priory well into three figures, and Adam Barton chipped in with 12 not out at the end.

Priory then gave very little away with the ball and were very purposeful as they restricted Seaford to 116-7 in reply.

Mal De-Morgan did well up-front with the new ball, Adam Pye generated some reasonable pace, Barton proved very difficult to get away, and spin trio Jed O’Brien, Josh Beeslee and Jack Coleman did a very good job and were very effective.

De-Morgan (4-0-20-1) bowled Thomas Date before a run had been scored before Chris Stanyard (22) and Patrick McCaughan (23) put on 51 for the second wicket.

Beeslee (4-0-26-1) ended the partnership by having McCaughan caught by Lloyd-Dyke and Stanyard was run out six runs later. Coleman (4-1-17-3) opened his account by trapping Seaford skipper Oliver Smith leg before for nine with the score 81.

Seaford lost three wickets for two runs at the end of the innings, Coleman bowling Adam Kneller (19) and Callum Scott (16) either side of Barton (2-0-4-1) having Mark Sapwell caught by Devlin for a duck.

“It was a good, professional performance and pleasing to get through to the next round,” added Ian Gillespie. “We did all that was asked of us and more.”

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