Priory set for title shoot-out

Second-placed Priory go to Premier Division leaders Horsham today (Saturday) needing to overturn an 18-point deficit in order to clinch their first league crown since 2003.

Senior player John Morgan said: “All the pressure’s on Horsham, it’s theirs to lose. All we can do is go there and be 100 per cent positive.”

Preston Nomads - the champions for the last three seasons - were knocked out of the running after losing by 15 runs in a low scoring game at Horsham last weekend, while Priory kept in touch by seeing off relegated Pulborough.

“They (Horsham) will be odds on by quite a long way to win it, especially with their form,” continued Morgan. “But we’ve got to go in there confident. We’ve got a good, balanced bowling attack and we bat all the way down.”

Priory would have liked to go into the game no more than 15 points behind as victory would have pretty much guaranteed top spot. As it stands, however, a win might not be enough depending on how many bonus points Horsham pick up.

Morgan, who wished to thank - on behalf of the team - Priory’s dozen or so loyal supporters, went on: “You can’t really think too much about permutations because things can completely change. We’ve just got to play the game.”

The bowling all-rounder doesn’t expect Horsham to be negative. Littlehampton fell into the trap of playing defensively needing only a draw to stay up on the final day in 2005 and Priory bowled them out to send them down.

Priory expect to be pretty much at full strength. Kirk Wernars is likely to play as he isn’t in the Sussex side for the LV County Championship match against Durham, while Elliot Hooper will probably come in for Joynal Ahmed.