John comes out on top in family battle
The opening round match of the Gray-Nicolls Twenty20 Cup at Benfield Valley lived up to pre-game hype as a contest between two sides with plenty to prove.
Sussex League Division 2 side Worthing won the toss and elected to bat against their Division 3 opponents, but made an unsettled start in losing several early wickets.
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Hide AdOpener Andy Reid was caught and bowled by Portslade’s captain for eight, while the visitors’ number three, Nick Oxley, was dismissed in similar style soon afterwards.
The away team found themselves 29-3, after fellow opener Matthew Green’s promising start was cut short on nine runs. His wayward shot fell to Portslade’s young Australian all-rounder Tom Mooney.
With the home side applying pressure, it fell to Worthing’s captain to calm the middle-order. He quickly settled to the pace of the wicket and delivered five boundaries in a confident display.
As he closed in on a half-century, he faced his brother Paul – hitting him for six on his first delivery, which he attempted again a couple of balls later. However, Steven Case was on hand to catch his lofted shot near the boundary and he was out for 47.
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Hide AdHis runs helped Worthing recover from 51-6 to finish their 20 overs on 123-8.
In response, Portslade lost opener Ian Morley for a duck with just five on the board.
Fellow opener Tony Downs was bowled by Luke Vinter for two shortly afterwards, which placed the home side on the defensive.
Captain Paul Glover stepped up with a determined innings that threatened to match his brother’s performance. However, after making a swift 19, much to his frustration, he was bowled by Martyn Swift.
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Hide AdThere was also a spirited display from promising newcomer Mooney. He made a quick 25 before he was bowled by Benn Challen, who was the pick of Worthing’s attack. He took 4-15 as Portslade were restricted to 95-9 from their 20 overs.
Portslade are at Rottingdean for their first league game of the season on Saturday.