WIVENHOE captain Paul Tonkinson believes there is still a lot of hard work to do if his side are to bounce straight back up into Division One of the Marshall Hatchick Two Counties Championship.

WIVENHOE captain Paul Tonkinson believes there is still a lot of hard work to do if his side are to bounce straight back up into Division One of the Marshall Hatchick Two Counties Championship.

Having been relegated in ninth place last season, the Essex side have lost just once this season and sit top of Division Two with a 17.75 average.

Playing at Witham on Saturday, Wivenhoe posted a target of 180, Brendan Meagher top scoring with an impressive 84. In reply, Witham fell 11 runs short, Michael Phillips claiming six of the nine wickets that fell.

Tonkinson said: “We set a target of going straight back up at the start of the season and it is a case of so far, so good, but there is still a lot of hard work to do.

“Abberton are hot on our heels but we don't have to play them again so everything is in our own hands.

“Hopefully over the coming few weeks we can get a few bigger scores on the board, but the bowling is going well and in general things are going along very nicely.”

In Division One, Copdock & OI continued their good run with a comfortable win over bottom club Brightlingsea.

With James East stepping in as captain in place of his brother John, Copdock went into the match also without Richard Mann, Tristan Jervis and last week's star man Adrian Nel.

Brightlingsea won the toss and elected to bat and in a remarkable first over Michael Kay was hit for 26.

However, this proved to be a false dawn, and the struggling coastal side were all out for only 86 in 24 overs.

Copdock's Michael Kay and Bardo Fransman bowled 11 overs each and had very different figures, with Kay taking six for 57 and Fransmen taking four for just 11.

Stand-in skipper James East said: “It was great to see Kay return to form as he has struggled for rhythm this season. Having spoken to him he has found the pressure on him to perform a hard burden to bear, as competition for the overs in this side is fierce.”

Copdock set about their target very well as Knights and Jenkin put on 50 for the first wicket.

When Knights was adjudged lbw, a flurry of wickets fell until James East and Hugh Thomas saw the side home with relative ease.

With Halstead losing to Frinton, Sudbury and Copdock now lead the way in Division One.