Littlehampton look to continue fine run

They won at home to bottom-of-the-table Southwick to move up to fourth in the league on Saturday and then recorded two Twenty20 cup wins on Sunday. That made it four wins from their last five games, after a tricky start to life in the West Sussex Invitation League, following relegation from the Sussex League, when they lost their opening three games.

Littlehampton bowled Southwick out for 162 on Saturday and then chased down the total with more than 15 overs to spare as Tom Lee starred with bat and ball.

Southwick looked on course for around 200 for much of their innings but four wickets in eight balls from Lee ripped apart their lower order and they were all out in 43.4 overs.

Littlehampton then got off to a flyer in their reply with a 77-run opening stand and, despite Wickers pegging the home side back to 111-4, Simon Morgan smashed 19 from the over immediately after the drinks break to give the initative back to Littlehampton and they eased home.

Littlehampton captain Dan Rive said: “They were looking at 200 with about nine overs to go but Tom then took four wickets in eight balls.

“Tom and Chris Heberlein then broke the back of their innings with a 77-run opening stand and it gave us sufficent time to score the other 90 runs. We won pretty comfortably in the end and we’ll look to continue this run at Felbridge on Saturday.”

After Southwick were reduced to 16-2, Mark O’Keefe and Chris Summers put on 92 for the third wicket as O’Keefe hit 23 and Summers 71, from only 69 balls, which included 11 fours and two sixes.

Both fell in quick succession and only two other batsmen reached double figures. Lee finished with 5-27 from 8.4 overs for Littlehampton and he then helped his side get off to a strong start in their reply.

He put on 77 for the first wicket with Chris Heberlein, who hit 46 from just 36 deliveries. Lee was third man out for 45, with the score on 110, but 23 not out from Michael Askew and a quickfire 21 from Morgan took Littlehampton to victory.