Colney v Drayton 'A' 17th May 2008

Colney 132-8 Drayton A 133-5 Colney's home wicket at UEA typically offers a bit of lively bounce to bowlers and 160 usually proves a challenging total. Saturday's wicket and a lush outfield played its part in serving up an exciting, low-scoring game, on an afternoon when getting and staying warm was a challenge. Not until the forty-second over, when skipper Daz Flatt blasted two consecutive balls for six, was the result put beyond doubt.

Lively and generally accurate opening spells from Jason Trett (12-1-32-1) and Jamie Scarff (8 overs for only 15 runs) put the Colney batsmen under pressure: they had reached only 19 after twelve overs. After this, Burrell gradually started putting bat firmly to ball. Given two lives off skiers, he reached 51 with some powerful leg-side shots, before Trett finally pouched a third massive skier off the bowling of Nigel Massingham, who finished with 2-31 from twelve overs.

Mike Bown eventually recorded his first Drayton A wicket, a remarkable leg-side catch by Neil Chamberlain, standing up, off a sweep shot. To his credit, the Colney batsman was one of two who walked. All-rounder Baldock looked technically sound against the returning Trett and Flatt, but he was eventually one of Flatt's three victims in his second spell (8-1-31-3).

Drayton's innings was a curious affair, but was built around a calm assured performance by Mike Sutton (51), who provided the backbone in a stay of 40 overs. He started watchfully and gradually became more expansive, judging skilfully which balls could be scored off safely on a pitch with variable bounce. Baldock was the pick of Colney's attack: his twelve overs (3-14) bottling up the Drayton middle order. The modest target seemed even more accessible as Colney's bowlers served up generous helpings of wides, but when two wickets fell with only five and a half overs left, the tension was raised.

James Reeve, with cultured strokes and fast running, and Daz Flatt, with savage blows (one straight six towards the Food Research Institute would not have disgraced Tiger Woods) saw Drayton over the line.

Three wins out of three. Next week, a top of the table epic in prospect against league leaders, Martham.