CHALLEN GETS PROMOTION BELL CHIMING

Challen's innings took just 138 balls and included 14 fours and two sixes, one of which went at least 20 yards past the boundary rope off Russell Brown.

He reached his 50 off only 55 balls and his hundred in 113. It beat his previous season-best score of 31, but he had returned to form the previous Sunday with 157 in a friendly for Clymping against Chippingdale.

He was excellently supported by Chris Kirkham in a stand of 152 for the third wicket. Kirkham scored 66 off 71 balls with seven fours before he was caught on the boundary by Matt Paul off Ian Higgins' medium pace.

Brown was the pick of Worthing's bowlers with three for 88 from 16 overs. Paceman Chris Mansell returned from injury with two wickets.

Worthing '”- who were without regular opener Ben Shelford, who had injured himself at work the day before '” made the worst possible start to their innings.

Dave Marshallsay was out in the first over of their reply, to the bowling of Gary Tester, then in Tester's next over Australian imported player Matt Paul was also caught behind by wicketkeeper Stuart Hanks.

Alex Harris and Mike Rudd '” back for the weekend from his job in Paris '” put on 49 for the second wicket before Harris was clean bowled in Paul Wells' first over.

Worthing then went from 71 for three to 73 for five before falling to 128 all out. Stuart Stoneham took five wickets from just 10 overs with his medium pace to make it a top- against-second-place clash in Littlehampton's match at leaders Cuckfield on Saturday.

Worthing's head of cricket Andy Lutwyche, sporting a red Jimmy Anderson hair makeover, afterwards described Littlehampton as the best side in the division: "They are probably the best all-round team as everyone can do a job. They don't have any superstars."

Worthing go to Preston Nomads on Saturday.