Essex Ladies made a winning start to this week's Inter-County Cup tournament, but they were pushed all the way by Sussex.

They eventually won their Group One fixture 5-4 against their hosts in Eastbourne, where they share a group with defending champions Surrey, Warkwickshire, Leicestershire and South Wales.

The men had a tougher start in Group Two, however, battling hard before going down 5-4 to Buckinghshire in Felixstowe.

Published Wednesday July 21, 2004

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