Bexhill rivals “there for taking”

That’s the view of first team manager Hamish Russell with Bexhill desperate for a victory at home to East Grinstead in their Sussex Premier League survival battle.

He said: “They’ve been in the Premier League every year, they’re a quality side and they’re still favourites to win the game, but we like playing at home and I think East Grinstead are there for the taking.”

A directive has gone round the league clubs saying that no players contracted to Sussex County Cricket Club will be playing this weekend so that means Grinstead will be without Will Adkin and Lewis Hatchett.

“We’ve got the likes of Callum Guest, Ian Ellis, Tim Hambridge and Jamie Wicks to come back into the team, and that will give us a big boost,” Russell continued. “We’ve got that bit of class in Callum and Ian. We really are focusing on this game; it’s absolutely huge.”

Although Bexhill have lost their last four league games, they will go into the match buoyed by their Gray-Nicolls Sussex T20 Cup double over Sidley and reigning Premier League champions Hastings Priory on Sunday.

With tomorrow’s match marking the midway point in Bexhill’s league campaign, they really need to start winning. Malcolm Johnson’s side is bottom of the table and 39 points adrift of a Worthing outfit which occupies the final safe spot of third-bottom having played an extra game.

Bexhill will be back in T20 Cup action on Sunday with a quarter-final away to Division Two club Haywards Heath, who knocked out Grinstead last weekend on the toss of a coin.

See today’s Bexhill Observer for the full article.