Sudbury won a thrilling match by just one wicket to edge home against Wivenhoe, and so extend their winning start to this season’s Marshall Hatchick Two Counties Championship.

Sudbury, relegated from the East Anglian Premier League last year, made it five wins from five starts, although they were taken to the wire by fellow high-fliers Wivenhoe.

The visitors made an impressive 298 for four from their 50 overs, thanks mainly to a superb 136-run partnership for the third wicket between Matt Condon and Ryan Savill.

Condon struck 16 boundaries and four sixes in his innings of 119, after openers Matt Durrell (48) and Jordan Elliott (26) had ensured a good start for the Essex side. Savill smashed six sixes in his breezy 79, and it was looking good for Wivenhoe when Sudbury opener Nathan Poole was dismissed early on.

However, Darren Batch (102) and Jonathan Phillips (42) put on 121 runs for the second wicket. Batch helped himself to 16 boundaries and three sixes in his century, before he became one of Tom Durrell’s three victims with the score on 164 for three.

It was left to Michael Jones to play a captain’s role in seeing Sudbury home, by the skin of their teeth. The hosts slumped from 224 for four to 279 for nine, still 20 runs short of their target.

However, Jones took control, ending on 92 to achieve victory with four balls to spare.

Elsewhere in Division One, Coggeshall made it three wins from four games with an eight-wicket success at Maldon.

The Essex hosts were bowled out for 131, with opener Jamie Glenn offering the only real resistance with 54. Dale Bailey took four wickets, with three apiece for George Blackwell and Lloyd Edwards.

Coggeshall eased home, thanks to a fine second-wicket partnership between Daniel Cleaver (74) and opener Jimmy Rees (40no).

Luke Ibbs compiled an unbeaten century as Hadleigh defeated Witham by 15 runs. Struggling on 96 for four, Ibbs and Kyle Tanner (52 not out) boosted the final total to 253 for four, equating to an unbeaten stand of 157.

Witham, thanks to 111 not out from Richard Green, kept themselves in the hunt before eventually ending on 238 for nine.

Bottom club Haverhill recorded their first win of the season, at the expense of fellow strugglers Lakenheath.

Half-centuries from Amit Gupta and Dan Poole, plus 49 from Luke Youngs, lifted Haverhill to 215 for seven off their 50 overs.

Lakenheath fell just short, ending on 211 for nine to lose by just four runs. Robert Horrex top-scored with 46.

Six teams in Division Two have all won three games, including leaders Easton, who beat Brockley by 47 runs thanks to an unbeaten 73 from Wayne Mitchell and six wickets by Elliot Tyler.