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Peacehaven and Telscombe 1 Rocks 2
The Rocks can look forward to a Sussex Senior Cup semi-final with Eastbourne Borough after a Jason Prior double saw them through a tricky last-eight tie at Peacehaven.
Prior struck a goal in each half to earn the win for a Rocks team so short of players they had three men making their debuts and had to bring on joint boss Jamie Howell in the second half.
They now face Eastbourne, the side who have been allowed to stay in the competition despite not declaring Ross Treleaven's appearance in a match return card earlier in the competition.
Treleaven then played for Hastings, who were told to replay their tie with Lewes when it came to light he had played for both teams, although they too were lucky not to be thrown out of the cup.
Amazingly, Treleaven played AGAIN for Eastbourne in Monday night's county cup win at Whitehawk which set up the semi-final - presumably allowed because his appearance for Hastings has now been declared a non-game.
The Rocks have every right to feel aggrieved because last season they were thrown out of the cup for playing Sam Pearce as an unregistered player - though they were not expelled until AFTER a quarter-final win over Chichester which came after they had told the county FA about Pearce.
Back at Peacehaven, the county league hosts took a seventh-minute lead when a ball out to the right led to Ray Pook beating Anthony Ender from an angle.
Peacehaven had the best of the first half - at least they did as far as most could tell on a night when thick fog affected the game - but the Rocks equalised on 27 minutes.
Dan Beck's free-kick teed up Prior, whose shot from the edge of the box took a slight deflection before nestling in the corner of the goal.
Just before the break, Levitt missed an open goal for the hosts after a cross from the right fell to him.
The Rocks came out battling well in the second half and went 2-1 up ten minutes in as Prior rose among a group of players on the edge of the six-yard box to head home a Beck corner.
A few minutes later debut-making midfielder Patrick Cox - back with the Rocks after a successful spell at the Lane last season - set up Matt Wood for a shot well saved by Russ in the home team's goal.
Pook missed a sitter for Peacehaven and then Wilkinson did the same, and the latter also had time to force a good save from Ender near the end.
A crowd of 115 were watching on a night when two youngsters recruited from Havant & Waterlooville, winger Matt Bremford and striker Craig Ralph, also made solid debuts for the Rocks.
Howell came out of retirement for a second-half sub's appearance in place of Bremford. Darin Killpartrick was also on the bench, as was keeping coach Pat Lawrence.
There's no date yet for the semi-final, but it seems likely to be in April.
Rocks: Ender, Crane, Bowles, Cox, Bond, Demetriou, Bremford, Wood, Prior, Ralph, Beck. Subs: Oatway, Broadbent, Howell, Killpartrick, Lawrence.
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Weather for Bognor
Friday 25 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 12 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 23 mph
Wind direction: East
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Sunny
Temperature: 12 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: East
