Rare defeat for Sudbury, at the hands of Horsford

Horsford had finished rock bottom of the table last season, with just five wins all summer, as opposed to Sudbury, who celebrated their first-ever EAPL title with 16 wins and just four defeats.

But the tables were turned at Friars Street, against a Horsford side who had only avoided relegation in 2017 by dint of the three feeder league winners all deciding against the opportunity to make the step up to a higher grade of cricket.

Visiting skipper Ryan Findlay won the toss and elected to bat, and all of Horsford’s top six batsmen made runs in a commanding total of 307 for four off 64 overs.

In reply, Sudbury slithered to 138 all out in 46 overs, with only skipper Tom Huggins (43) managing to score more than 25 runs.

An opening partnership of 78 between Luke Findlay and Chad Bowes set the tone for the day. Bowes had raced to 41 off 43 balls when he was caught by wicketkeeper Adam Mansfield off Billy Moulton-Day, but that merely brought William Rogers to the crease.

Rogers added 96 for the second wicket with Luke Findlay, before the former was ensnared by Huggins, caught by Kenny Moulton-Day for 50 off 82 balls.

Dustin Melton managed to remove Stephan Marillier (13) relatively cheaply, and when Huggins had Luke Findlay dismissed for a patient 77, off 156 balls – both men were caught by Daniel Poole – Horsford looked vulnerable on 191 for four.

But Callum Metcalf (67 not out) and skipper Ryan Findlay (46 not out) advanced the score to 307, with some aggressive hitting, and that proved far beyond Sudbury’s reach.

Mansfield (0) and Darren Batch (13) did not last long, and when the key wicket of Huggins was taken by Tim Alexander, to leave Sudbury on 71 for three, the task looked an impossible one.

William Shropshire and James Poulson both made 23, but no other Sudbury player made double figures, Chris Brown doing the main damage with figures of 13-7-21-4.