Lindfield survive drop by just ONE point

Batting first, the visitors got off to a good start moving to 50 for 1 thanks mainly to Shane Yelverton (26) and Tem Hodson (15). This proved as good as it got, as IPL leg spinner Dinesh Salunkhe began his assault on the Lindfield batting order.

Having removed the in-form Geoffrey Lawrence for a duck, he went on to rattle through bemused batsmen ending with figures of 6 for 44 off 22 overs.

Only Alex Borley came away with any credit with an unbeaten 26.

In reply, Ifield had no real issues in chasing down the target and achieved it in 19 overs thanks mainly to Mike Norris (37).

Crucially for the visitors, James Pearce took 2 for 50 which gained them a single point from the game, and ultimately kept Lindfield in Division 2.

Lindfield skipper Simon Shivnarain commented after the game, “It’s been a long and disappointing campaign in which we have not performed with the bat, and today has been a typical example of that. Somehow though, we have managed to beat relegation which we’ll take some positives from. That said, we must be sure not to paper over the cracks in the off-season, and ensure we do what we can to be better prepared next year.”

2nd XI

The two relegated teams from Division 1 met on the Common for the final game of the season, and provided a low scoring, but lively encounter on a spicy pitch which kept all bowlers interested throughout the afternoon.

Deciding to field first, the visitors’ opening attack of Joe White and James Thorpe pegged back Lindfield taking 2 for 25 and 2 for 36 respectively.

In amongst the considerable movement off the pitch, skipper Gareth Court moved less than serenely to 50, ably supported by the tattooed youngster Joe Pinard (23). At one point, the club house looked like a hospital A & E department, when two Cuckfield players collided in attempting a catch, resulting in one of them coming off with a nasty cut to the mouth. Despite the injuries, the hosts reached 107 after Matt Denyer (3 for 25) had cleared up the tail.

In reply, Cuckfield made steady progress with most batsmen making reasonable contributions. Openers Darren Senadhira (20) and Richard Stafford (24) took the score to 40 for the first wicket, whilst George Galbraith-Gibbons (17) and James Thorpe (18) moved the score along. An unbeaten 16 from Jack Denyer saw the visitors over the line in 25 overs. Chris Maynard (2 for 31) proved the best of the bowlers.

Mid-Sussex Cricket League - Division 2

Ardingly 1st XI 120 for 3 v Lindfield 3rd XI 196 all out: Match abandoned due to rain

Back-to-back centuries for skipper Rob Minter were not enough for Lindfield 3rd XI to stay in Division 2 of the Mid-Sussex league, in a game that was ultimately lost to the weather. After his debut hundred last week, Minter followed up with a brutal 105 against an already promoted Ardingly which saw the visitors achieve 196 in just 33 overs. Utilising every inch of the leg-side boundary, the middle order batsman kept the scoring rate high as wickets fell around him. Only Josh Hinde (35) and John Sage (13) made double figures in support, as Rory Fleming took 4 for 70 and Oliver Pyle 2 for 61.

In the second innings, Ardingly were handily placed at 120 for 3 before the heavens opened and no further play was achieved. John Hopkins (44 not out) and Adam Vander (31) compiled most of the runs, whilst Josh Hinde (3 for 49) bowled with decent pace.

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