Title races take another twist

While Woolpit were thrashing Exning, just 20 miles away Mildenhall were left frustrated as their match against Coggeshall was abandoned following one of the biggest thunderstorms seen in the area for some years.

As a result Woolpit turned a one-point deficit into a nine-point advantage at the top of Division One, while Hadleigh increased their lead in Division Two from five to ten points after Witham were involved in a thrilling tie with Braintree.

Michael Jones passed 1,000 runs for the season in the Two Counties as he reached 103 not out and shared in a third-wicket stand of 100 with Craig Rutterford (84) in Woolpit’s 310 for four declared at home to Exning.

Will Parker than picked up five for 66 as the bottom side were bowled out for 158 in just 30.5 overs to lose by 152 runs.

Ady Stockton’s 59 not out saw Coggeshall close on 178 for eight at Wamil Way, and Mildenhall had advanced to 64 for two off 11.3 overs in reply when they heavens washed away any chance of victory – and with it ended their 11-match winning streak.

The day’s four other Division One matches – at Haverhill, Ipswich, Mistley and Wivenhoe – were also all abandoned.

Essex batsman Billy Godleman scored 106 for Wivenhoe against Maldon, for whom James Ellis took five for 39, but the match was halted before the visitors could start their reply.

Nigel Bunning also bagged a five-wicket haul for Haverhill against Lakenheath to no avail.

Bad light forced the match at Clay Hall to be curtailed with Elmstead Grasshoppers 102 for four in response to Ipswich’s 229 for six, opener James Alder top-scoring with 89 for the home team.

Frinton recovered from 30 for three to 239 for eight thanks to some consistent middle-order scoring despite Mistley’s Damien Smith claiming 13-3-31-5.

Hadleigh stayed on course for promotion thanks to a nine-wicket win at home to Mildenhall.

Jack Beaumont (75) scored more than half of the visitors’ total, but an opening partnership of 123 between Josh Davey (49 not out) and Marlon Dias (70) put Hadleigh en route to a comfortable win.

Witham amassed 267 for two at Braintree thanks to 89 from opener Jamie Rogers and an unbeaten 140 from James Suett.

Simon Jones then smashed the bowling to all parts of the ground and added 141 for the third wicket with Chris Leech before the latter slipped and was run out for 36.

Eight runs later and with the total on 219 Jones played on after scoring 93 off just 62 deliveries, but Braintree remained in the hunt and four were needed off the final two deliveries with two wickets intact.

Jamie Foyster struck the ball into the covers, but Ben Golds was narrowly run out going for the second run off the penultimate ball, before Foyster then took two off the last ball to earn a tie.

Marshall Hatchick Two Counties Championship

DIVISION ONE

Coggeshall 178 for 8 (A Stockton 59no, J Searles 32, O Blackwell 30). *Mildenhall 64 for 2 (F Bester 38no). Match abandoned, Mildenhall 10pts, Coggeshall 11pts.

Frinton 239 for 8 (R Stockdale 69, M Foakes 48, I Morton 45no, T Sinclair 40, D Smith 5 for 31). *Mistley 52 for 1 (M Griggs 37). Match abandoned, Mistley 10pts, Frinton 11pts.

*Ipswich 223 for 6 (J alder 89, D Hondo 38no, J Rusby 25, M Burch 25, A Garnham 3 for 55). Elmstead Grasshoppers 102 for 4 (M Perrin 30no, J Elliott 29, D White 24). Match abandoned, Ipswich 13pts, Elmstead Grasshoppers 10pts.

Lakenheath 143 (P Pallant 45, N Brunning 5 for 35, A Gupta 3 for 39). *Haverhill 38 for 2 (B Moran 20no). Match abandoned, Haverhill 11pts, Lakenheath 9 pts.

*Wivenhoe 253 (B Godleman 106, T Affleck 43, M Durrell 32, W Morgan 20. J Ellis 5 for 39, T Pugh 4 for 70) v Maldon. Match abandoned, Wivenhoe 11pts, Maldon 11pts.

*Woolpit 310 for 4 dec (M Jones 103no, C Rutterford 84, A Northcote 57, D Crame 25no, W Parker 20). Exning 158 (M Geeves 55, D Hayward 49, W Parker 5 for 66). Woolpit (20pts) bt Exning (8pts) by 152 runs.

DIVISION TWO

*Abberton 177 (R Moxon 36, T Sawdon 32,no, T Zaman 26, D Booker 22, A Oswald 3 for 66). Woodbridge & OW 149 for 7 (M Parker 38, I Akers 31no). Match abandoned, Abberton 13pts, Woodbridge & OW 13pts.

Brightlingsea 220 for 7 (R MacDonald 52, C French 32no, J Gould 28, K Rodrigo 24, J Barry 22, G Downey 6 for 46). *Worlington 101 for 2 (C Baugh 44, J Watson 30no, G Ford 26). Match abandoned, Worlington 10pts, Brightlingsea 12pts

Brockley 117. *Dunmow 119 for 4. Dunmow (20pts) bt Brockley (3pts) by 6 wkts.

Easton 80 (W Mitchell 23, G Driver 3 for 18, K Mildenhall 3 for 33). *Ipswich & East Suffolk 84 for 3 (R Glassford 35no, H Hazlewood 21no). Ipswich & East Suffolk (20pts) bt Easton (1pt) by 7 wkts.

Mildenhall II 149 for 9 (J Beaumont 75). *Hadleigh 150 for 1 (M Dias 70, J Davey 49no). Hadleigh (19pts) bt Mildenhall II (2pts) by 9 wkts.

Witham 267 for 2 (J Suett 140no, J Rogers 89). *Braintree 267 for 9 (S Jones 93, C Leech 36, R Jones 33, W Celiz 22, J Wakelin 4 for 75). Braintree (11pts) tied with Witham (14pts).

DIVISION THREE

*Bury St Edmunds II 158 for 8. Kelvedon & Feering 74 for 4. Match abandoned, Bury St Edmunds II 11pts, Kelvedon & Feering 10pts.

*Coggeshall II 188 for 3. Felixstowe 146 for 9. Coggeshall II (19pts) bt Felixstowe (3pts) by 42 runs.

*East Bergholt 115. Long Melford 116 for 7. Long Melford (20pts) bt East Bergholt (4pts) by 3 wkts.

Halstead II 257 for 5. *Stowmarket 129. Halstead II (20pts) bt Stowmarket (4pts) by 128 runs.

*Little Bardfield Village 123. Copford 124 for 3. Copford (20pts) bt Little Bardfield Village (2pts) by 7 wkts.

*Sudbury II 228 for 9. Yoxford 230 for 3. Yoxford (19pts) bt Sudbury II (6pts) by 7 wkts.

DIVISION FOUR

Clacton II v Ipswich II. Match cancelled, Clacton II 6pts, Ipswich II 6pts.

*Copdock & OI II 242 for 7. Woolpit II 235 for 8. Copdock & OI II (19pts) bt Woolpit II (8pts) by 7 runs.

Earl Stonham 117 for 8 v *Frinton II. Match abandoned, Frinton II 10pts, Earl Stonham 7pts.

*Needham Market 139 for 9. Mistley II 140 for 7. Mistley II (19pts) by Needham Market (5pts) by 3 wkts.

*Witham II 182 for 5. Hadleigh II 147. Witham II (20pts) bt Hadleigh II (4pts) by 35 runs.

DIVISION FIVE

Abberton II 185 for 6 v *Maldon II. Match abandoned, Maldon II 9pts, Abberton II 10pts.

*Boxted 213 for 7. Bury St Edmunds III 149. Boxted (20pts) bt Bury St Edmunds III (5pts) by 64 runs.

*Elmstead Grasshoppers II 258 for 7. Mildenhall III 60 for 5. Match abandoned, Elmstead Grasshoppers II 13pts, Mildenhall III 9pts.

*Harwich & Dovercourt 196 for 8. Wivenhoe II 109 for 3. Match abandoned, Harwich & Dovercourt 11pts, Wivenhoe II 11pts.

*Kelvedon & Feering II 89. Great Bromley 90 for 0. Great Bromley (20pts) bt Kelvedon & Feering II (0pts) by 10 wkts.

Tuddenham 179. *St Margarets 180 for 8. St Margarets (20pts) bt Tuddenham (8pts) by 2 wkts.

*Tuddenham 196 for 5. Boxted 142. Tuddenham (20pts) bt Boxted (4pts) by 54 runs.

DIVISION SIX

Earls Colne 130. *Melton St Audrys 134 for 3. Melton St Audrys (20pts) bt Earls Colne (3pts) by 7 wkts.

Earls Colne 37. *Brightlingsea II 38 for 2. Brightlingsea II (20pts) bt Earls Colne (1pt) by 8 wkts.

Ipswich III 168 for 7. *Brightlingsea II 31 for 1. Match abandoned, Brightlingsea II 9pts, Ipswich III 9pts.

*Mildenhall IV 224 for 6. Felixstowe Corinthians 42 for 0. Match abandoned, Mildenhall IV 11pts, Felixstowe Corinthians (9pts).

DIVISION SEVEN

Coggeshall III 137. *Sudbury III 138 for 6. Sudbury III (20pts) bt Coggeshall III (5pts) by 4 wkts.

*Copford II 191 for 9. Maldon III 28 for 5. Match abandoned, Copford II 12pts, Maldon III 10pts.

East Bergholt II 250 for 9. *Kesgrave 188 for 6. East Bergholt II (18pts) bt Kesgrave (8pts) by 62 runs.

Kesgrave 215 for 7. *Maldon III 162. Kesgrave (20pts) bt Maldon III (6pts) by 53 runs.

St Osyth v Halstead III. Match cancelled. St Osyth 6pts, Halstead III 6pts.

Stowmarket II 69. *Felixstowe II 70 for 1. Felixstowe II (20pts) bt Stowmarket II (0pts) by 9 wkts.

DIVISION EIGHT EAST

*Ipswich IV 113. Woodbridge & OW II 116 for 2. Woodbridge & OW II (20pts) bt Ipswich IV (2pts) by 8 wkts.

St Margarets II 100. *DBSL 101 for 8. DBSL (20pts) bt St Margarets II (5pts) by 2 wkts.

Stradbroke 139. *Worlingworth 143 for 2. Worlingworth (20pts) bt Stradbroke (3pts) by 8 wkts.

*Sudbourne Hall 85. Eye & District 86 for 1. Eye & District (20pts) bt Sudbourne Hall (0pts) by 9 wkts.

DIVISION EIGHT SOUTH

Brantham 185. *Kelvedon & Feering III 32 for 0. Match abandoned, Kelvedon & Feering III 11pts, Brantham 10pts.

*Eight Ash Green 108. Tendring 109 for 5. Tendring (20pts) bt Eight Ash Green (3pts) by 5 wkts.

West Bergholt 134 for 8. *Coggeshall IV 137 for 7. Coggeshall IV (19pts) bt West Bergholt (5pts) by 3 wkts.

Witham III v Harwich & Dovercourt II. Witham III (20pts) bt Harwich & Doverocurt II (-20pts) by concession.

DIVISION EIGHT WEST

Brockley II v Walsham-le-Willows. Walsham-le-Willows (20pts) bt Brockley II (0pts) by concession.

Bury St Edmunds IV v Worlington II. Worlington II (20pts) bt Bury St Edmunds IV (0pts) by concession.

*Lakenheath II 25. Elveden 29 for 0. Elveden (20pts) bt Lakenheath II (0pts) by 10 wkts.

DIVISION C

*Kelvedon & Feering 181 for 7. Mistley 178. Kelvedon & Feering (20pts) bt Mistley (7pts) by 3 runs.

Wivenhoe 109 for 9. *Ipswich 112 for 3. Ipswich (19pts) bt Wivenhoe (2pts) by 7 wkts.

LADIES’ CHALLENGE

Ipswich v Woolpit. Result not received.

*Denotes home team