HASANTHA Fernando bowled Sudbury to an unlikely win at reigning champions Cambridge Granta in the Gibbs Denley East Anglian Premier League on Saturday.

Defending a meagre total of 105 all out, the Sri Lankan medium pace bowler routed the home team’s batting line-up with stunning figures of 9-5-7-5 as they were skittled for just 69 to give Sudbury a 36-run success.

In fact, the margin of victory would have been even more emphatic had No.9 Lewys Hill not scored 30 before being last man out.

Granta were already wobbling at 25 for four when Fernando got to work, taking the next five wickets as Granta slumped to 39 for nine.

The win lifts Sudbury two places in the table to six, leapfrogging Burwell and Clacton, who coasted to a seven-wicket win against Essex rivals Halstead.

Opener Neale Dakin’s 75 provided the platform for the home team’s 237 for eight before he was seventh man out, and Chris Rayner struck two sixes in his undefeated 35 from only 29 deliveries.

But an unbeaten 90 by George Brown (11 fours in 137 balls received) plus 56 from Michael Comber and 42 from his Essex team-mate Greg Smith, who had earlier taken four for 62 on his debut, saw Clacton ease home in 44.4 overs.

Copdock & Old Ipswichian’s honeymoon period is well and truly over after they slipped to a second successive reverse, losing by 67 runs at Vauxhall Mallards.

A century from Carl Amos set the home team on their way to 245 for nine, and apart from Archie Gravell (45) and Chris Swallow (41) no-one else reached 20 as Stuart Lipshaw (17.5-4-56-5) and Paul Bradshaw (12-3-35-4) shared nine wickets between them.

Bury St Edmunds are still searching for their first success of the season after they slipped to their fourth loss in seven matches courtesy of a seven-wicket defeat at Horsford.

Simon Rees continued his good form with the bat by making 34 in Bury’s 123 all out, but Horsford required only 26.5 overs to knock off the runs, Essex batsman Jaik Mickleburgh helping himself to an undefeated 55 off 76 balls with seven fours.

Gibbs Denley East Anglian Premier League scoreboard

*Burwell 268 all out in 65.5 overs (M Richards 96, P Summerskill 69, G Goosen 49, W Lonsdale 4 for 58, J Spelman 3 for 55). Great Witchingham 187 for 8 in 55 overs (J Spelman 95no, W Lonsdale 22, M Richards 3 for 50). Burwell (16pts) drew with Great Witchingham (10pts).

Bury St Edmunds 123 in 55.5 overs (S Rees 34, C Brown 4 for 16, L Caswell 3 for 28). *Horsford 124 for 3 in 26.5 overs (J Mickleburgh 55no, J Wild 36no). Horsford (25pts) beat Bury St Edmunds (1pt) by 7 wkts.

*Halstead 237 for 8 in 66 overs (N Dakin 75, C Rayner 35no, D Sincuba 30, T Philp 22, G Smith 4 for 62). Clacton 239 for 3 in 44.4 overs (G Brown 90no, M Comber 56no, G Smith 42, D Coyle 21). Clacton (25pts) bt Halstead (9pts) by 7 wkts.

*Saffron Walden 248 for 6 in 66 overs (G Batticciotto 70, A Gale 43no, M Stewart 35, T Price 26no, A Laws 23). Swardeston 165 for 9 in 60 overs (L Denmark 40no, T Smith 4 for 27). Saffron Walden (15pts) drew with Swardeston (7pts).

Sudbury 105 in 50.3 overs (J Phillips 24, R Woolley 4 for 23). *Cambridge Granta 69 in 39 overs (L Hill 30, K Fernando 5 for 7). Sudbury (30pts) beat Cambridge Granta (5pts) by 36 runs.

*Vauxhall Mallards 245 for 9 in 66 overs (C Amos 100, C Schoeman 35, D Turner 28, A Nel 3 for 50). Copdock & Old Ipswichian 178 in 62.5 overs (A Gravell 45, C Swallow 41,S Lipshaw 5 for 56, P Bradshaw 4 for 35). Vauxhall Mallards (30pts) beat Copdock & Old Ipswichian (6pts) by 67 runs.

*Denotes home team.