Suffolk had only themselves to blame for bowing out of the Unicorns East T20 Tournament to Cambridgeshire on Sunday.

Needing 168 to win in Sunday’s opening match of the four-team competition at the Victory Ground in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk raced to 100 for two inside eleven overs.

Openers Ben Reece, who top-scored with 57 off 37 balls, and Jake Wakelin, with 16 off just eight deliveries, put Suffolk in the driving seat.

Ben Shepperson then weighed in with 23 from 11 balls, before Suffolk lost their way amid a clatter of wickets as the run-rate crept up.

Tom Rash struck a six over mid-wicket off the fourth ball of the final over, but was unable to repeat the shot as Suffolk lost by four runs.

Rash had been Suffolk’s most economical bowler, returning good figures of 4-0-23-2, closely followed by Kyran Young’s 4-0-25-1, after Suffolk inserted Cambridgeshire.

Paul Summerskill, batting at No.3, made an undefeated 66 off 48 deliveries and featured in an unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 123 with Lewis Hill, who finished on 50 not out.

Suffolk skipper Adam Mansfield said: “The boys at the top – Ben Reece, Jake Wakelin and even Ben Shepperson – got us off to a brilliant start.

“But towards the end the run-rate crept up on us and the pressure built and we started to play shots we probably wouldn’t normally play.

“It is always tricky for the guys coming in needing ten an over, but if one of the top four or five had gone all the way through we would have won the game.”

Bedfordshire then beat Hertfordshire by 24 runs in the second match to book their place in the final.

Skipper Andy Reynoldson led the way with 51 not out in Bedfordshire’s 157 for three, before Hertfordshire mustered 134 for nine in their reply.

Bedfordshire then comfortably beat Cambridgeshire by seven wickets in the final, after bowling their opponents for the small total of 94.

Cambridgeshire never really recovered from slipping to 34 for five off nine overs, with spinner Tom Brett claiming the man-of-the-match award for his figures of 4-0-18-3.