Littlehampton cap 'perfect' season with the double

James Askew's side, who were crowned West Sussex Invitation League Division 1 champions last month, defended their WSICL T20 Cup with a six-wicket success over RMU at The Sportsfield.

After choosing to field first, Littlehampton were tasked with chasing down 175 to seal a memorable double.

Ally James (73) and skipper James Askew (49 not out) played key roles as Littlehampton reached 179-4 off the final ball of their innings.

Littlehampton skipper Askew believes defending their T20 Cup crown was the perfect way to complete a superb season.

He said: "The season could not have gone much better for us. The original target was promotion, which we achieved, then to cap it off by completing the double has made it a perfect season for the club.

"We knew with the talent in the side that, if we performed well, we could achieve great things this season.

"Our biggest issue over the past few seasons has been consistency but we've overcome that this season."

RMU skipper Michael Gould (85) played a massive role in getting his side up to 175-7 from their allotted overs.

Other than Gould, the next highest-scorer was Omar Nasseri (23). Littlehampton paid the price for dropping Gould when he was on 11 but Andy Greig pulled things back with the ball.

Greig finished with figures of 3-12 off his three overs but Littlehampton faced an uphill task to chase down 175.

Opener Guy Souch (nought) fell early, only for Michael Askew (44) to get the home side back on track.

James (73) and James Askew (49 not out) did their bit as Littlehampton got the winning runs off the final ball.

Littlehampton captain Askew wants his side to enjoy their success, before focusing on a return to the Sussex League next season.

He added: "We've had a few discussions about next year but nothing too serious just yet.

"We await to hear what division we will play in, once we do we'll look at how we can continue to progress. It's great to be back in the Sussex League but we've still got a lot to do to be where we want to be as a club."

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