THREE first-half goals by Lancing condemned the Blues to a 3-2 defeat in division one of the Sussex League at Culver Road.

Despite Max Thoms striking in each half, Selsey failed to capitalise on Lancing having two men sent off.

Adam Hinshelwood’s side hadn’t played for three weeks and Lancing were 3-0 up within half an hour. Graham Martin opening the scoring on two minutes, Charlie Walker grabbed his 20th league goal of the season on 22 minutes and Adam Hunt netted soon after.

Thoms struck from the spot in the 38th minute to give Selsey hope when Lancing keeper Anthony Di Bernando conceded a second penalty and was dismissed, Thoms dispatched his 11th goal of the season.

Sam O’Regan also saw red with 20 minutes to go but Selsey were unable to level.

Lingfield visit the Blues on Saturday in the league. Selsey face Hassocks in an RUR Charity Cup semi-final at Culver Road on Tuesday.

MARK ALLAWAY

Chichester lost by the narrowest of margins - 14-13 - on the other wide of Sussex at Hove as the battle for the London one south title took another twist.

The 14-13 loss leaves Chichester level on 81 points with Guernsey at the top of the table – although the Channel Islanders are first thanks to their 17 wins, one more than the Blues have notched.

Chichester travelled to Hove expecting a tricky assignment with Sussex rivalry to the fore and Hove in good form.

Hove hadn’t played for two weeks while Chichester had played through the cold period and had several key players missing, with powerful skipper Scott Barlow injured and Tom Polhill attending a funeral.

The Blues shuffled their resources and still fielded a decent side.

The game started in squally conditions which worsened throughout.

The Blues kicked off with the significant cross-wind in their favour and started in determined fashion with Ross Fairbairn, back in the first XV after some strong performances in the twos, cutting some excellent lines to create some good field position and an early penalty chance. Stuart Pearham slotted the straightforward three points.

The forwards were creating pressure on the Hove scrum and lineout but possession was difficult to use well against determined defence and in slippery conditions under-foot and in hand.

After 15 minutes the Blues started to make unaccustomed errors with some poor positional kicks, and in the aerial battle Hove’s Phillips and Coulson came out on top. From one loose kick, Hove moved the ball well and two missed tackles later the home side were deep in the Blues’ 22.

Some excellent offloads saw Hove move the ball to score wide out. They followed that with a penalty to make it 8-3.

The Blues lifted their game and won the majority of possession but didn’t use the ball effectively. Two kicks with the wind as the half closed showed the home side were under pressure deep in their own half.

The forwards worked some powerful drives and were rewarded as big lock Nick Blount muscled his way over. The conversion was missed to leave it 8-8.

Chichester hadn’t managed the game well and knew against the wind it was going to be tough.

With Hove scrambling well in defence, Blair and veteran Wattam used their experience to live on the offside line to spoil and disrupt the the Blues’ ball.

Hove pressed hard and penalties came - two excellently-struck goals pushing them into a 14-8 lead.

Chichester lifted their energy with the lineout giving good possession and Rob Lawrence throwing well even against the elements.

Phil Veltom and Jack Taggart were carrying strongly over the gain line and Ben Polhill contested at every breakdown. The Blues made their surge with the scrum now shunting the Hove pack back.

Without the inspirational Blair, Hove would have been in serious trouble but he constantly cleared up.

Chichester sensed a chance as Veltom hit a great line. A good cover tackle brought him down but the big prop stretched over to score close to the posts - but a key decision came when the ref, by this time unsighted, claimed he had landed short.

Although from the subsequent scrum Moses Kasujja surged over, it was much wider out - and Pearham missed the conversion to leave Chichester 14-13 down.

Polhill rallied his troops and they drove strongly to fashion another opportunity.

It was a tough kick – harder than the earlier conversions – but the Blues’ No10 has kicked more difficult this season. Today it wasn’t to be and the ball went wide.

Chichester could and perhaps should have won but ultimately didn’t manage the game well enough in the first half.

Director of rugby Paul Colley said: “We knew this game could be very tricky and we just didn’t play the conditions quite well enough.

“We could have sneaked it but it wasn’t to be. We’re an honest team and accept we didn’t play well enough. Hove defended very well and looked dangerous with ball in hand. Their No8 was outstanding.

“We still have all to play for with twists and turns still to come.”

Veltom was named man of the match.

CHICHESTER: Wheeler, Lawrence, Veltom, O’Callaghan, Blount, Taggart, Polhill, Kasujja, Toone, Pearham, Golds, Fairbairn, Deed, Adams, Knowles, Gingell, Uta, Wagstaff.

There’s a week’s rest for the squad this weekend, with a massive game at home to Trojans to come on March 3.

Pagham’s first and second teams have recorded their first wins for 2012.

As a rehearsal for a John O’Hara cup semi-final, the first team’s Sussex League first-division win at Uckfield couldn’t have gone better - it ended 6-1.

They were 2-0 up within ten minutes through Lewis Hyde and James Temple in boggy conditions as John Price, in the absence of Carl Stabler, oversaw another convincing away win.

The floodgates opened when Howard Neighbour scored number three on 67 minutes.

Two minutes later Temple got his second.

Uckfield got a consolation but Harry Williams, so impressive on his debut the week before, netted a fine strike and Jake Hawker added a sixth to leave the Lions again dreaming of a top-two finish.

This week they entertain Crowborough.

Luke Cooper’s Pagham reserves ground out a 1-0 win against obstinate Eastbourne United.

Anders Wyatt scored the winner two minutes before the break.

JON ROSE

Perfect running conditions for the 22nd Brighton half marathon helped many runners achieve great times – even if they did all run a little farther than they should have.

The route was unintentionally extended at the 4.5 mile turn, adding an extra third of a mile.

Organisers apologised after realising the error and set about the tricky task of recalculating times.

Under clear skies, spectators cheered on a record entry of more than 7,000 runners, making it the largest 13-miler on the south coast.

Bognor club ToneZone provided another large club entry of 16 runners – and 11 of them recorded personal bests.

Chichester athletes also posted excellent times. Fresh from winning a Sussex cross-country league title the day before, James Baker finished fifth in a chip time of 1.12.25.

TONEZONE TIMES: Perry Lee 1hr 29min, Keith Hardwell 1.34, Mark Dimwoody 1.38, Ian Bayley 1.39, Chris Gallagher 1.43, Jason Rae 1.58, Jennifer Green 1.59, Robert Little 2.02, Viv Baker 2.04, Rachel Misselbrook 2.07, Benita Milton 2.10, John Baitup 2.14, Michelle Maxim 2.15, Jo Langrish 2.16, Carolyn Millar 2.24, Alison Stead 2.24, Derek Winslow 2.46.

OTHER CHICHESTER TIMES: Mark Jennings 613rd in 1.33.29, Mike Moorcroft 613rd, 1.37.13; Nicky Upton 1040th, 1.41.48; Kevin Batt 1121st, 1.42.56; Henry & Chantal Lushingham joint 1,956th, 1.51.20; Emma Webster 5484th, 2.15.08.

]]> 1.3549699 Thu, 23 Feb 2012 06:58:59 +0000 http://www.bognor.co.uk/cricket_seb_s_on_way_to_being_a_sussex_starlet_1_3529229

SEB FECHER is jubilant after being selected for Sussex’s under-ten cricket squad.

He started playing cricket at an early age, mainly as a target for his cricket-mad older brother Dom, who himself has been selected this year for the county’s under-13 Western Warriors.

Fecher is a member of Stirlands Cricket club at Birdham and first played for the under-12 team aged just seven. He batted against some of the under-ten county squad’s fast bowlers and survived!

Aged eight he became the leading wicket-taker in the Stirlands under-12 squad and won the much-coveted bowler-of-the-year prize.

Last September he was put forward by his club for selection into the Western Warriors Sussex county area squad. He was one of 20 local players to be selected for development training last autumn.

From these sessions the Sussex selectors invited him to go for the full under-ten county trials along with 25 other boys from across East and West Sussex and he attended three selection afternoons in January at the Sussex CCC HQ in Hove. Dad Nick said: “He was lucky enough to be selected as one of the final 16 to be in the playing squad for 2012. He is delighted to have been chosen.

“Without the dedicated coaching he has received from his coaches at his club Stirlands and at his school, Westbourne House, he couldn’t have got this far.”

Stirlands are keen to recruit new players for their under-12 team for 2012. Anyone interested should call Dan Oliver on 07920 887093.

Fecher is not the only West Sussex prospect called up by Sussex CCC. They have announced their junior squads for all ages and West Sussex is well-represented.

Under-tens’ west players: Seb Fecher, Ben Hawkes, Michael Kirby Bott.

Under-11s: John Norman.

Under-12s: Josh Wood, Nick Smith.

Under-13s: Nick Oxley, Jacob Temple.

Under-14s: Jay Hartard, Ryan Maskell, Jamie Piper.

Under-15s: Beck Hemingway, Dominic Keats, Mason Crane, Harry Isted.