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W10 D2 L4.  (2008: W6 D2 L8).  So… we took on two overseas players plus a few of our footballers to get us up out of this league and although the 2nds went up, the 1sts stood still.  Partly due to the weather but mainly because we couldn’t again beat three teams we believed were worse than us.  After an opening (very) friendly win at Slinfold, in the first league game against Aldwick, we had the opposition on their knees at 36-5.  The top four all gone to openers (new overseas player) Michael “Mick Dundee” Armstrong and Walter Chaloner for scores of 4 or less.  Somehow they frustrated us and scrambled to 188-8 off the full 49 overs.  In reply, no one made a half century as Dundee top scored with 41 and there were four ducks.  We had lost by just nine runs.  The rest of the month saw us get back on track with three wins out of three including a low-scoring win against our old rivals, West Blatchington.   

However a little more than a month after the Aldwick debacle, we entertained Belgrave Adelaide at home with our former player Greg Brown’s nephews making their debuts.  This time we dropped several catches as the visitors again struggled to 185 all out off 48 overs.  Fitz took four wickets.  In reply, our batting again disintegrated as we collapsed to 118 all out with a top score of just 35 from new footy player who wheels a bat, Craig Pulling.  Visiting player Antonio took seven Chilt wickets.  

A good draw at leaders Brighton Insurance with Sleepy getting a ton was followed by a comfortable win against one of the league whipping boys, Bury & West Burton.  We then visited Broadbridge Heath scene of our last day loss the year before which had condemned us to play in this league in the first place!  We batted first and didn’t even manage three figures as we crashed to 86 all out – number 8 Rhino Ashley making the top score of just 25 runs.  In no hurry, Heath got the runs for just two wickets and we’d lost three games already.  Hardly what we had hoped for at the start of the season in April.   

In the event, we lost no more league games, thumping both West Blatch away & Insurance at home but the final nail in the coffin was a washout when we were due to play (beat) Rustington on the 1^st August.  West Blatch had the league weekend off so that was our game in hand gone.  We were left relying on Brighton Insurance beating West Blatch so we could overhaul them.  Not impossible still but we managed to draw at Belgrave Adelaide when winning seemed straightforward chasing a paltry total when Bob and the Chairman got bogged down batting.  Mick inadvertently broke the Insurance best bowler’s wrist/hand/finger in our handsome victory at home the week before their key match against West Blatch.  Blatch then duly beat Insurance before both the top two as expected beat the two relegated sides on the last day leaving West Chilt. & Thakeham  perhaps as a side seen by others as one with delusions of grandeur!  Are we as good as we think we are?  The table doesn’t lie and we finished third by four points.  

On the positive side, we’d improved our win ratio to that of 2008.  Maybe we’ll rectify the situation in 2010.  We’ll see.  

A friendly defeat with a weakened side in mid September against Horsham 3rds was no more than a footnote to a frustrating season for the Club’s number one side.  

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