Bexhill up for survival fight

Bexhill’s position in the Sussex Premier League relegation scrap improved slightly despite losing last weekend.

Second-bottom Bexhill have moved two points closer to a Worthing side which occupies the final safe spot of third-bottom and the gap between the teams is now just 10 with four matches remaining.

While Bexhill picked up a creditable 12 points against new leaders Preston Nomads, Worthing were skittled for just 57 away to East Grinstead with Sussex professional Lewis Hatchett taking 9-17.

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Bottom-of-the-table Eastbourne, who included former Test players Mohammad Akram and Alan Wells, won away to Chichester Priory Park, however, and are now 21 points behind Bexhill with a game in hand.

Bexhill captain Malcolm Johnson said: “We were banking on Worthing to lose against East Grinstead; we were pretty pleased about that. Eastbourne got a win, but I think it’s a bit poor having to sign an ex-professional (Akram) to help you get out of the relegation zone.

“Virtually every team has got a professional. You take that professional out, they’ve just got club cricketers. If we had a professional, I’m sure we would do just as well as any other team. We could’ve been up there.”

An away fixture against fourth-placed Roffey is next up for Bexhill tomorrow (Saturday) and Johnson says the 30-run defeat Bexhill suffered in June’s reverse fixture, when they collapsed from 126-3 to 173 all out, still rankles.

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“We’re still enjoying our cricket and we’ve done alright,” continued Johnson. “If we can keep close to Worthing and Brighton, and contain Eastbourne, we should be alright.”

With in-form spinner Jamie Bristow-Diamond still away, Bexhill could well field an unchanged side. See today’s Bexhill Observer for the full article.