Beaten Blues fail to shine at water-polo

The major talking point was how and why the referee Danny Austin passed the pitch as playable. Valiant efforts by volunteers with forks and buckets of sand could not disguise its waterlogged nature.

The first half was played throughout in a torrential downpour which produced puddles all over the pitch and touchlines that disappeared into a sea of mud.

The majority of play was in Ringmer's half as home familiarity resulted in Sidley adapting far better to the appalling conditions. Peter Baker, Lee and Jordan Wood all had early chances to give the home side the lead while Ringmer's excursions into their opponents half foundered, with the ball stopping dead in deep water or players losing their footing.

With half an hour gone a stooping header from Baker following a cross from the left from Jimmy Watson gave Sidley the lead.

The half-time interval was extended by five minutes to allow two men with forks more time to work a small area of the pitch although what difference it made was a mystery. However, the referee allowed the game to resume despite protests about the conditions and the risk of serious injuries to the players and he was soon involved in further controversy.

Julian Curnow was brought down on the edge of the penalty area and a melee ensued after a Sidley defender made off holding the ball, chased by Mickey O'Callaghan, who was looking to take a quick free-kick.

Having restored order, the referee seemed to have forgotten where the original offence had occurred, so instead of ordering the defensive wall back ten yards he moved the free-kick back ten yards to leave Ringmer boss John Crumplin incensed.

Ringmer had more of the play in this half without ever really looking like scoring and in a rare Sidley attack a cross from the left went over the defenders to the unmarked Baker, who beat Ross Standen from close range. Ringmer, who by now had used all their substitutes including newly-signed Adam Hunt from Littlehampton, pressed forward in an effort to get something out of the game but in doing so left themselves stretched at the back.

First Baker chipped over Standen from 25 yards to complete his hat-trick and this was soon followed by his fourth goal '“ a header at the far post.

Ringmer's best effort of the game came in the dying seconds from O'Callaghan, whose shot was tipped over the crossbar by the goalkeeper.

Blues's manager John Crumplin said: 'Anyone who was at Sidley knows the game shouldn't have been played. The referee said to me that if there was any more rain the game would be in doubt then we had a downpour for 30 minutes in the first half. It was just a joke.

'Sidley were better at water-polo but my team turned up with the wrong attitude. I've got no complaints with the result but it was a wrong decision to play.'

Ringmer: Standen, Head, Bird (Hunt), Curnow, O'Callaghan, Stacey, Clark, Ducille, Shepherd (Jones), Green (Probert), Tidey.

County League Two

Seaford 1 Crawley Down 1

CHRIS Stanyard missed a second-half penalty as Town totally outplayed their visitors in a mudbath at the Crouch but failed to turn chances into goals.

Seaford manager Duncan Kneller preferred Mark Doherty to Nigel Mayo at left back, Adam Kneller came in for Adam Hammond and Lee Plastow replaced the injured Darren Moore.

New signing Nathan Scarfield from Eastbourne United came into midfield and pulled the strings as Seaford dominated and Crawley Down hardly created a worthwhile chance all game.

Town created chances in the first half but didn't take any, and they paid the price 11 minutes into the second period as the ball was given away and Scott Mitchell fired past Sean McFadden.

Stanyard then won a penalty and missed it, but with ten minutes left a cross from the left found Ben Dartnall on the edge of the six-yard box and he glanced a header home.

Seaford: McFadden, L Plastow, Doherty, A Kneller, Wingate (Chambers), Hamblin (Callaghan), Scarfield, Dartnall, Allison, L Keith (Chapman), C Stanyard.

County League Two

Selsey 8 Saltdean 1

SALTDEAN manager Mark Smeaton is far from downhearted despite a heavy defeat and the loss of strikers Pepe and Dave Martin to Lancing.

Smeaton said: 'We matched them at 1-1 before young Harry Coker was sent off. Coker had just come on for Lee Slade, who pulled a calf muscle, when he was given the red card. It was a bad tackle, but their centre half had maliciously fouled Craig Bunch twice before and had not even been booked.

'Quite honestly I was gobsmacked by the referee (Paul John). Every decision seemed to go their way and when we were down to ten it felt like we were playing 12. He wasn't responsible for us conceding eight, but it didn't help at all.

'It was just one of those days as Lee Stevens suffered back spasms in the warm-up and had to sit on the bench. Russell Cheverest came in and scored a cracking own goal, but to be fair to him he played well. At the break we were only 2-1 down and I told the players to keep their shape, but Selsey are a good side and everything they came off.

'Our new signing Ray Pook scored a superb goal. Ian Costello played the ball into Richard Ogoe, he fed it into the channel and Ray beat a defender before firing it past their goalkeeper.'

Saltdean: Fisher, Slade (Coker), Pietrzak, Newman, Cheverest, Cole (Coyne), Costello, Ogoe, Saxby, Bunch, Pook.