Bexhill triumph in cricket derby

Sidley may have overwhelmed Bexhill in the drawn match at the Polegrove in June but Steve Phillimore's charges got their own back in no uncertain terms at Gullivers on Saturday.

And there was more than a hint of irony about the player who tilted the scales in their favour. Chasing a total of 131-8, Sidley looked well on course at 92-4 with two set batsmen until Bexhill's Adam Wickenden, who was savaged for 28 from his one over in the reverse fixture, wrought havoc with figures of 4-20 from seven accurate overs.

"It was the best spell of bowling he's done for the club," said his skipper Steve Phillimore. "Once we got a couple of early wickets there was a belief there and in the field it was the best we've played all season. But up until the last half an hour of the game they were in control: they outplayed us for 90 per cent of the game.

"We were always capable of winning the game but I didn't totally expect it to happen. People's heads have stayed up and because it's against people you know, you bring out an extra few per cent in your play."

Sidley captain Scott Woodroffe said: "It was incredibly disappointing and I don't quite know what went wrong with us in the second half of the game. But full credit to them, I thought they bowled really well on the day.

"We controlled the first half of the game but batting wise we were nowhere near good enough in the end. If you can't get 130 you don't deserve to win. We were maybe a bit surprised to keep them down to that score but I don't think we thought we had already won it. The result at Pulborough (eight wicket defeat) was equally disappointing but they definitely didn't look like a side who hadn't won all year."

And the character shown by not only Wickenden but Neil Broughton (21 not out) and Jack Munro (15 not out), who shared a valuable unbroken stand of 38 for the ninth wicket, also didn't resemble a winless team.

This was all after Bexhill were rocking on 5-2 after nine overs at which point Phillimore "would have taken 130 because the way they were bowling it didn't look like we'd get 50". John Holland (21) led the recovery but the fact that they got what they did was mainly due to Broughton and Munro.

The wickets of Steve Reeves and Tyrone Wildman by the time 11 had been scored in the Sidley response lifted Bexhill further but Pakistani Faisal Naveed (19), who extended his stay by a week just to play in this fixture, looked dangerous until departing to an indiscriminate stroke.

Chris Hunnisett (32) and Peter King (24) put on 44 for the fifth wicket until Wickenden arrived and the last six wickets went for 17 - the final three in successive balls, although the last was a run out - as Sidley were shot out for 109.