[8] It was in this same season that he made his List A debut against Somerset in the 1977 John Player League, with him making six further appearances during the tournament.
[7] This season also saw Cheatle make what would be his highest score in first-class cricket the bat, with 49 against Kent.
[7] He played in the final of the Gillette Cup at Lord's in that season against Somerset, with him taking the wickets of Brian Rose and Peter Roebuck, finishing with figures of 2/50 from his twelve overs.
[10] In total Cheatle made forty first-class appearances for Sussex, scoring 276 runs at a batting average of 12.54.
He made thirteen further first-class appearances in 1980,[4] taking 23 wickets in his debut season at an average of 28.65, with best figures of 5/28.
He made fifteen List A appearances in his debut season with Surrey,[9] taking 22 wickets at an average of 20.81, with best figures of 4/34.
He made a single and final first-class appearance in the following season against Oxford University at The Oval.