HASTINGS and St Leonards Priory Cricket Club’s under-14s put Brighton and Hove Cricket Club to the sword with an emphatic five-wicket win.

It was a day for the batsmen at Horntye Park in Hastings as five players recorded 50s and only seven wickets fell in two innings.

Home captain Samuel Hobbs won the toss and decided to stick Brighton and Hove in to bat and must have been questioning his decision when the visitors put on a 106-run opening stand.

Leo Towers and Mathew Cordery were in dominant form as they made opening bowlers Hobbs and Ryan Hoadley toil in the sun for little reward.

Cordery finally fell to a Harry Scowen run-out for 35 off 48 balls and Samir Bahemou joined Towers in the middle.

The pair took the bowling apart as they hit 26 boundaries between them and the run-rate rocketed.

Towers’ powerful innings came to an end when he was bowled by Hobbs for 80 off just 63 balls.

The pinch-hitting continued for Brighton and Hove as Connor May entered the fray and he took his team to a very competitive total of 258-2 declared as both batsmen raised their bats.

Bahemou finished 73 not out from 54 balls and May’s 55 not out came in just 37 balls which included seven fours and one six.

The Hastings and St Leonards’ chase was a much more measured affair as Hoadley and Bradley Giles took them to 77-1 for the first wicket – the former trapped lbw off May five short of his 50 having survived 65 balls.

May struck again to send Giles back to the pavilion for a watchful 15 from 38 balls before match-winners Harry Scowen and Hobbs came to the crease.

The pair put on 142 for the third wicket before Scowen was run out for 59 off 70 balls to leave the score at 226-3.

Hobbs played a captain’s knock and was eventually skittled by Alec Scott for a sublime 78 from 76 balls before Tyrique Ellwood (22), Ben Fox (8 not out) and Henry Curties (1 not out) saw his team home.