OBSERVER SERIES
Friday, April 24, 2015 www.hastingsobserver.co.uk
93
SPORT
Cricket & rugby
Badminton
Cricket’s back as Priory get out
in middle for first time this year
SUS-150418-202627002
HASTINGS Priory Cricket
Club got out in the middle for
the first time this year on Saturday afternoon.
Priory began their preparations for the 2015 Sussex
Cricket League Division Two
campaign with a friendly at
home to Division Four neighbours Rye.
A Priory XI containing a
mixture of first and second
team players won the game by
32 runs, but the main object of
the exercise was to give batsmen some time in the middle
and bowlers some overs under
their belts.
On a sunny yet breezy afternoon at Horntye Park, Priory totalled 216-7 from their 40
overs batting first. Jed O’Brien
top-scored with a nice 60 not
out, Australian overseas player Jack Colley made 41 and Ryan Hoadley hit 30.
Rye were all out for 184 in
reply off the first ball of the final over. Sam Jones, Cameron
Smith and O’Brien picked up
two wickets each, while Henry
Smith looked good in taking
1-12 off seven overs.
Priory are due to travel
to Division Four newcomers
Mayfield in another friendly
tomorrow (Saturday), with the
seconds at home to the same
opposition.
With several players away
at university etc at present, the
side will again have a mixed
look about it, although captain John Morgan is set to play.
Priory will host East-
Cricket returned to Horntye Park last weekend as Hastings Priory contested their opening pre-season friendly against Rye. Picture by Simon Newstead
bourne in round one of the
Gray-Nicolls Sussex T20
Cup on Saturday May 2 before beginning their league
programme with a visit from
Lindfield on May 9.
Wicketkeeper/batsman
Leo Cammish has reluctantly
left the club over the winter,
but Priory have otherwise
kept last season’s squad intact
and Harry Finch could feature
when Sussex commitments
permit.
Magic Johnson plunders hat-trick in entertaining win
HASTINGS & Bexhill Rugby
Club’s under-15 team pulled off a
high scoring 46-32 win away to
Seaford.
With only 10 players to call on,
H&B relied on the goodwill of the
opposition to lend four players
in order to make up a 14-a-side
match.
H&B started brightly and Declan
Johnson raced off with the
ball following a scrum to score
under the posts. Tries from Ben
Green, Tom Hirst and Tony Leer
added to a further score from
Johnson. Seaford claimed a try
back before half time, but the
visitors were cruising.
In the second half, with injuries
taking their toll on H&B, Seaford
started to rack up scores
through good ball handling and
running lines.
However, a scorching try down
the wing from player of the
match Hirst and a further try
from Johnson to give him his
hat-trick put H&B out of sight.
Seaford ended strongly, with
only good defence from one of
H&B’s stalwarts Lee Hopkins
keeping the score down. Hopkins converted the final try.
THE Hastings YMCA Badminton Club achieved very
good results in the Eastbourne Badminton Tournament.
Tim Leakey and Wai Lau
(both YMCA) - pictured top
- won their box in the men’s
division, while Will Savage
(YMCA) and Gary Pearson
came runners-up in theirs.
Jayne Gray (YMCA) and
Pearson - pictured above won their box in the mixed
division, and Poppy and
Milton Beach (YMCA) came
runners-up in their box.
The event is the longest
running badminton tournament in the country having been going for 84 years.
It was a great tournament
again this year and attracted a good turnout from
across the county.
The Hastings YMCA Badminton Club can be contacted at http://www.
hastingsymcabadmintonclub.co.uk/
Rugby
Motorsport
Race ace produces solid showing at Donington
RISING motor racing star Jack
Barlow emerged from a challenging weekend at Donington
Park with a trio of top eight finishes in the MSA Formula.
The 19-year-old from Pett had
been one of the frontrunners
in pre-race testing at the iconic East Midlands circuit, but
an attempt to find vital extra
speed from his MBM-run car
hampered his chances during
timed qualifying.
Having managed to hustle himself into 10th place, all was not
lost ahead of the event’s three
races, which were played out in
front of sell-out crowds.
YMCA talents
make a mark
at long-running
tournament
Barlow delivered a solid drive
to eighth place in the opening
race despite still struggling
with a car that wanted to push
on in a straight line through the
corners.
The reverse grid format left
Barlow on pole position for
race two, but he lost two places on the opening lap.
Barlow really struggled for
grip during the first half of the
race and dropped another position. The car came alive during the second half of the race,
though, and he set the fastest
lap en route to finishing fourth.
After starting the third race
from ninth place, Barlow made
a strong getaway and capitalised when some of the other
competitors tangled in the
early exchanges.
Once the safety car had been
withdrawn, Barlow made the
most of his car’s renewed speed
to challenge the frontrunners.
He finished fifth, another solid performance that signalled
more is to come.
Barlow has maintained sixth
place in the championship
with points from a further 24
races still up for grabs. The
next round is at Thruxton on
May 9 and 10.
Jack Barlow at the front of a trio of cars. Picture courtesy Jakob Ebrey
H&B to face
Pulborough
in the final of
Sussex Vase
HASTINGS & Bexhill Rugby Club’s second team is
bidding to win a county
knockout competition.
H&B will take on their Pulborough counterparts in
the Sussex Vase final at Seaford RFC tomorrow (Saturday). Kick-off is 12noon.
The ARK William Parker
Academy-based club has
seen off Worthing Senior
II 32-10 and Crowborough
III 31-0 to make it through
to the final.