TODAY IS:

Forest Row II XI secured their first league win of the season, beating a spirited St. James Montifiore side in a pulsating Stoner League Division 3 encounter on Saturday. Row won the toss and elected to field and soon Simon Trench and Mike Keeler took two wicket apiece as good bowling backed up by excellent fielding saw St. James reeling at 44-4. Young George Ledden (32) played an assured innings and with good support from George Taylor (13) pushed the total past 100, but two wickets apiece for Richard Woodward and Jamie Brownlie, and one for Lawrence Webb kept Row in control of the match. Last pair Des Mickrill (8) and Trevor Hatchet (10no) frustrated the Row bowlers for 40 minutes as they added 25 potentially valuable runs. Keeler finally ended the innings on 129, when he had Mickrill caught by Trench.

In reply, Row got off to a shaky start losing early wickets against a determined St.James bowling attack. Richard Woodward (33) with some effortless strikes to the boundary and Simon Trench (28) with some big hitting steadied the innings and began to build a platform towards victory with a third wicket stand of 35. But Trench's dismissal off Balaraman sparked a near hat trick as St. James came storming back into the match. Pete Dawes (0) popped up a simple catch to mid-wicket, and then on a hat-trick ball Steve White (1) edged a simple chance to 2nd slip only for the fielder to drop it. White could be considered unlucky, having done well to survive a hostile bowling spell, putting on a useful stand of 22 with Woodward, blasted a six-bound shot into the safe hands of Balaraman, the only fielder on the boundary. And when the troublesome Balaraman bowled Woodward, the game came to a cross road. A confident feeling St. James side needed only four wickets to win, while Row, batting under pressure required 44 more runs for victory. Enter the new found heroes of Forest Row, Alan Westmuckett (17no) and Mike Keeler (26no). They kept cool heads as first they held the bowlers at bay, and then gradually began to take control of the game with some fine shots and good running between the wickets. A quickly run 2 sealed the win with 7 overs to spare.

ST.JAMES MONTIFIORE 129 a/o G. Ledden (32) , Keeler 3-30, Trench 2-28,
Woodward 2-34, Brownlie 2-16

FOREST ROW II 130-6 Woodward (33), Trench (28), Keeler (26no), Westmuckett
(17no) Balaraman 3-17