The recent disappointment of Suffolk Over-50s losing out to Sussex in the knock-out stage of the ECB competition, is at least being tempered somewhat by Suffolk’s Home Counties X1 performing so well.

In fact, they are potentially just three wins away from collecting some silverware.

At Sudbury, visitors Middlesex Over-50s were completely blown away by an astonishing innings from former Suffolk Minor Counties captain Phil Caley.

Caley’s innings started as early as the fifth over with the score on 16 for two, after Suffolk had won the toss and decided to bat.

His partnership of 107 with Rob Shurety (53) was rapid enough to form the platform for a match-winning total, but this was just a precursor for what was about to happen.

Another wicket fell before Caley was joined at the crease by Kevin Ross.

And over the course of the final 129 deliveries of the innings, Caley and Ross hit an amazing unbroken partnership of 254.

Caley’s century took just 64 deliveries, yet his second was even quicker, achieved off just 37 balls.

By tea, Caley had amassed 247 not out, with Ross’s contribution of 75 not out spanning 56 deliveries.

This enabled the Suffolk innings to close on 403 for four.

After Middlesex had been demolished by the battering that they received in the field, they then suffered just as much when they went out to bat.

Dean Sykes (four for 22) and Kevin Ross (five for 16) ensured that the visitors innings lasted less than 20 overs, for a mere 74 runs.

Only opener, Keith Alexander, had the wherewithal to stay at the crease for any length of time, but his single-handed response came to an end when he was ninth out with the score on 68.

Having scored a patient 47, it would have been rather fitting had Alexander stayed at the crease long enough to have reached his half-century.

So Suffolk completed a comprehensive victory by 329 runs.