Bexhill boosted for key games

Bexhill are going into a key phase of their season with renewed confidence.

The eight-wicket thrashing of East Grinstead at The Polegrove last weekend has lifted Bexhill off the foot of the Sussex Premier League ahead of successive games against bottom three sides.

In fact, Bexhill have won their last four matches in all competitions because they are also through to the semi-finals of the Gray-Nicolls Sussex T20 Cup after a hat-trick of wins on the last two Sundays.

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First team manager Hamish Russell said: “We had three or four really big losses and if you have too many of those it can get you down. But beating (Hastings) Priory (in the T20 Cup) gave us that bit of belief.

“I think we took that into Saturday (against Grinstead). Whereas they (the players) had been a little bit nervous, there was more of a buzz on Saturday, they were a lot of more optimistic and certainly a lot more confident.”

Now in the second and final relegation place, Bexhill are 11 points above Eastbourne having played an extra game and 27 below third-bottom Brighton having played the same number of matches.

“The next five weeks I think will be the making of us,” continued Russell. “If we find ourselves bottom of the table and 40 points adrift, that’s very hard to come back from.

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“If we’re sixth or seventh position, we’re not out of the woods, but things will be looking a lot more positive. If we leave it to the last weekend, it will be very tough.”

Bexhill will begin the reverse matches with a visit from Brighton tomorrow (Saturday) before making the short journey to Eastbourne next weekend in two potentially crucial contests.

Tom Powell is on holiday so young prospect Cameron Burgon may well come back into the side. Play is due to get under way from 12.30pm.