Martyn Cull and Cody Chetty starred with the bat, and Matt Wareing with the ball, as Copdock & Old Ipswichian moved up to third spot in the Gibbs Denley East Anglian Premier League, following their drawn game against Great Witchingham on Saturday.

Copdock managed to cheat the wet weather – all the other fixtures in the division were either cancelled or abandoned – to dominate in the drizzle at Old London Road.

Specialist batsman Cull, fresh from two good scores for Suffolk in last week’s defeat to Lincolnshire, bagged an unbeaten century (135 not out), and found good support from Chetty (78 not out) in the hosts’ impressive total of 251 for two.

The duo shared an unbeaten partnership of 197 for the third wicket, before skipper James East declared the innings in the 40th over of a rain-interrupted day.

Great Witchingham replied with 216 for six, having at one stage being pushing for victory with the presence of experienced opening batsman Sam Arthurton at the crease.

Arthurton made 95, before becoming one of Wareing’s four victims with the score on 203. Arthurton’s dismissal, the fifth of the innings, ended the visitors’ realistic hopes of snatching victory.

In fact, Copdock were the most likely team to win, when bad light intervened to rob the home side of their last few overs of bowling.

“We didn’t start until 2pm, but both sides deserve credit for continuing to play in the drizzle,” explained Copdock captain East.

“It was very difficult for both sets of bowlers, because the ball was like a bar of soap.

“Martyn (Cull) batted incredibly well. He had scored heavily for Suffolk (88 and 87) last week, but for us he had only been averaging 15 this summer. So this was a welcome return to form for us.

“Cody (Chetty) also batted really well. He is now averaging nearly 50 (48.86) for us, and he’s one of the leading run-getters in the division.

“After a slow start, during which he took time to get used to the English wickets, he is now going great guns.

“Unfortunately for us, but fortunately for him, he has been selected to represent South Africa ‘A’ in a tournament at the end of July, featuring India ‘A’ and Australia ‘A.’

“We will have to see how he does in this.

“There is a possibility he could go on another tour, or come back to us,” added East.

Chetty, who has already played for South Africa ‘A’ in the past, took just 81 deliveries to make his 78 not out against Great Witchingham, while Cull struck 21 boundaries in his unbeaten 135, accrued off 134 balls.

After losing their first four wickets for 108, a 97-run stand between Arthurton and Johannes Diseko (42 not out) put the Norfolk visitors in sight of victory, until Wareing bowled the former to end the run-chase.

Colchester-born Wareing ended with figures of 11-0-55-4.

East explained: “I set a very attacking field, so they scored quite quickly and the run-chase was on. It got a little bit close at one point, but that ended when Matt (Wareing) dismissed Arthurton.

“Matt has been bowling really well. He is now the leading wicket-taker in the league, and has ensured that we have not been one seamer-light this season.

“He played for Essex 2nds last week, and is doing the same this week.”

Wareing has now taken 23 wickets for Copdock this season, which sees him on top of the pile ahead of Saffron Walden’s Joe Barrs (22) and the trio of Woolpit’s Michael Rippon (21), Norwich’s Aaron Watson (21) and Frinton’s Mervyn Westfield (21).

Meanwhile, Frinton’s match at Saffron Walden was cancelled, without a ball being bowled, as was Woolpit’s home game against Cambridge Granta.

Woolpit stay in second spot, behind leaders Swardeston, and eight points ahead of third-placed Copdock, while Frinton are sitting comfortably in sixth place.

Bury St Edmunds remain rock bottom, after their match against third-from-bottom Burwell was abandoned at the Victory Ground.

Bury captain Michael Comber made 55 in his side’s 96 for four, off 19 overs, before the wet weather intervened to cause an abandonment. Bury are away at Frinton this Saturday.