Roffey drop back into bottom two with Hastings loss

Having won against Brighton the weekend before, defeat away at Hastings by six wickets on Saturday saw the side drop back into the bottom two.

The defeat was narrow, the hosts securing victory with only two balls to spare, and the key difference on the day was Hasting’s young academy spinner who took six wickets.

Roffey have failed to win back-to-back league games all season and skipper Josh Fleming said: “Everyone seems to be doing the same, you win one and shoot up to fourth or fifth and then lose one and find yourselves back in the bottom two.

“It’s going to be tight all the way until the end of the season so we just have to pick up as many points as we can.”

Fleming won the toss and chose to bat first in the hot conditions, and after a somewhat shaky start Mike Norris with 43 and Matt Davies with 50 rebuilt. But Roffey’s former skipper Norris was bowled by talented left arm spinner Hooper “at totally the wrong time” and the youngster continued to cause the visitors problems on a turning wicket.

Roffey reached 184-9 from their 58 overs, a “defendable total”, and they did have some early success with two early wickets in Hastings’ reply.

A crucial moment saw Byron Gould dropped on two and he went on to make a rapid 35. The hosts’ Australian batsman David Lowery timed his unbeaten 86 to perfection and with Roffey unable to hike up the pressure by taking wickets Hastings scored the five an over they needed to just edge home to victory in the final over of the match.

On Saturday the club unveiled an exciting new partnership with children’s hospice Chestnut Tree House. Details in this week’s paper, out on Thursday.