Bury St Edmunds shrugged off their availability problems to sweep aside rivals Clacton last Saturday by a convincing five wickets.

Bury St Edmunds shrugged off their availability problems to sweep aside rivals Clacton last Saturday by a convincing five wickets.

With a young Clacton side having started the season well, some may have foreseen an upset for Bury who, in the build-up to the match, saw Andrew McGarry ruled out for the season with a hand injury sustained while playing for Essex.

Another Bury player, Tony Palladino, was then called up by Essex to replace McGarry, weakening them further, and the Suffolk side had captain Justin Bishop available only as a batsman after his tentative return from injury.

Bishop said: “It was a great win because we've been a little bit short, especially of seamers. Benny France opens our batting and is normally only an occasional seamer but he has taken two fivers in the last two games. He is a great little all-round, three-dimensional cricketer and knows his own game.”

France's five wickets came as Clacton were bowled out for 169, the turning point of the innings coming when Clacton's Rene Grosvenor, settled at 28 runs, was hit in the face by a France delivery, the bloodied player going to hospital for treatment.

In reply, Bury knocked off the required target with ease, Tobias Hembry top-scoring with 65.

Bishop said: “Clacton are a good side and have made a reasonable start considering a lot of their old faces have gone. We wish them luck but obviously hope to be above them come the end of the season.”

Elsewhere in the Gibbs Denley East Anglian Premier League, Swardeston kept up their 100% start to the season with a fifth successive win, their latest victims being Godmanchester.

Meanwhile, Great Witchingham and Norwich had the better of draws with Vauxhall Mallards and Horsford respectively as Fakenham beat Cambridge Granta by 42 runs.