Away start and finish awaits Hastings

Adam Barton bowling for Hastings Priory against Bexhill on the final day of last season. Picture by Justin Lycett

The Horntye Park-based outfit will begin their league campaign with a trip to newly-promoted Ifield on Saturday May 5 and end the summer by visiting a Cuckfield side which came third last year on Saturday September 1.

Priory’s opening home game will be against Middleton on May 12 and they will also be at Horntye the following weekend against Brighton & Hove.

That will be followed by a local derby away to Eastbourne - the other promoted club - on May 26 before five consecutive matches against sides who finished in the top six last term.

The order will be repeated in the second half of the season, with the home fixture against Eastbourne taking place on July 28.

Under the captaincy of Tom Gillespie, Priory achieved a very creditable fifth place finish last year, matching their position of the previous summer.

Hastings Priory’s 2018 Sussex Cricket League Premier Division fixtures: May 5 Ifield (a), May 12 Middleton (h), May 19 Brighton & Hove (h), May 26 Eastbourne (a), June 2 Horsham (h), June 9 Roffey (a), June 16 East Grinstead (h), June 23 Preston Nomads (a), June 30 Cuckfield (h), July 7 Ifield (h), July 14 Middleton (a), July 21 Brighton & Hove (a), July 28 Eastbourne (h), August 4 Horsham (a), August 11 Roffey (h), August 18 East Grinstead (a), August 25 Preston Nomads (h), September 1 Cuckfield (a).

Priory’s second team, incidentally, will line up in the new Division Three East and their opening match will be at home to Portslade’s first team.