Sidley cricketers crash to heavy defeat

The Gullivers side had lost just one of its previous three Sussex Division Two games and picked up 51 points in the process, but they looked more like a side that had won just twice in 13 matches this time around.

A four point return against a side who went into the match fourth-from-bottom, even with the late work-enforced withdrawal of Tyrone Wildman, would probably be viewed as something of a missed opportunity to put greater daylight between themselves and the foot of the table. Sidley are now 16 points ahead of basement boys Pulborough, who were without a game last weekend.

Their innings began reasonably, though, as Scott Woodroffe (15) and Peter King (18), promoted from the middle-order, put on 25 for the first wicket.

But the openers' scores rather reflected a trend throughout the innings of batsmen getting starts without being able to go on and make a truly telling contribution.

Six players reached double figures, but of these only Phil Belfield (40), with by far his highest score of the season, made it to 20 as wickets fell at steady intervals.

Their cause wasn't helped by the run-outs of Jonathan Haffenden, who made 68 in his first game for a year against Haywards Heath the previous week, and Steve Reeves, who snapped a run of four consecutive ducks at the top of the order with 16 in the middle order.

They looked as if they might post a slightly bigger score at 121-5 only for four wickets to go down for five runs, although they did come within three balls of batting out their 53 over allocation.

Sidley were dimissed for 140 with the damage being done by Danny Cox (3-41 from 14 overs) and Pakistani spinner Saeed Ajmal (3-18 from 21 overs).

The hosts had few problems reaching their target, losing only David Briance (12) leg before to King with the score on 36. Ian Bollam (62 not out from 89 balls) and Richard Thelwell (59 not out from 63 balls) ushered them home with more than 17 overs remaining courtesy of an unbroken second wicket stand of 108.