GIBBS DENLEY EAPL: Swardeston's New Zealand opening batsman Joel Abraham rewrote the East Anglian Premier Cricket League record book on Saturday in a 10- wicket win over Clacton that sent his side back into second spot.

Abraham hit an unbeaten 221 off just 145 balls including six sixes and 26 fours, beating Leicestershire's Jacques du Toit who scored 220 for Godmanchester against Maldon in 2005.

Abraham was given valuable support by fellow opener Daniel Martin as they chased down a 309 target and created a Swardeston record for any partnership in the process.

Clacton had a centurion of their own in Garth Davson, the Essex II batsman hitting 138, with fellow South African Stefanus Gericke hitting a quickfire 66.

Rock-bottom Norwich warmed up for next week's visit of league leaders Great Witchingham with a morale-boosting first win of the season at Saffron Walden.

While red-hot Witchingham marched on with a six- wicket success at home to lowly Halstead, Norwich at last breathed some life into their campaign, bagging 30 points as they won at Saffron Walden by 68 runs.

Chris Borrett was the bowling hero, bagging five for 34 as Saffron Walden, chasing 241, were dismissed for 172 in 51 overs. Good support came from Ashley Watson who claimed three wickets as he bowled 17 overs for just 37 runs.

The platform for victory had earlier been laid by a brisk 92 from left-handed Australian opener Erik Laubscher and an unbeaten 54 from Harry Bush.

Meanwhile Witchingham were showing no signs of suffering the dreaded mid-season dip which has blighted their hopes of a maiden EAPL title success for the past two seasons.

Run machine Carl Rogers broke through the 500 mark with 66 as Witchingham beat Halstead by six wickets.

Sam Arthurton weighed in with 42 and New Zealand paceman Ryan McCone underlined his all-round talents with an unbeaten 54 in just 24 balls as the Witches reached their target in the 51st over.

Horsford dropped from second into third place after a draw at Sudbury. Daniel Clark's 68 laid the foundations for Horsford's 265-9 total, with Sudbury's Ben Reece claiming six for 70.

Spinner Chris Brown took three wickets from 18 overs which cost only 19 runs as the hosts were restricted to 216 for 6.

A hard-hit century from in-form Namibian international Gerrie Snyman proved in vain as Vauxhall Mallards slumped to a six-wicket defeat at Bury St Edmunds.

Snyman hammered a near run-a-ball 109 as the visitors posted a 273 total after being inserted at the Victory Ground. But Bury opener Tom Huggins topped Snyman's effort with a match-winning unbeaten 156 in 165 balls as his side reached victory in the 54th over.

Reigning champions Cambridge Granta were forced to hold out for a draw against Burwell who enjoyed much the better of proceedings.

Frans Johannes Bester dominated Burwell's 315-6 total with a run-a-ball 127 and there were half centuries for Paul Summerskill, Glen Goosen and Daniel Jones.

Kyle Jarvis took 4 for 55 in the reply which saw Jonathan Atkinson hit a half century.

• Bury St Edmunds (25 pts) beat Vauxhall Mallards (7 pts) by six wickets at Bury St Edmunds.

Mallards: C Amos c Sturgeon b Nunn 10, D Turner c McKinney b Rash 21, H Barton c Sturgeon b Edwards 2, G Snyman c Rash b Huggins 109, P Free b McKinney 35, A Shearer c McKinney b Huggins 10, S Potger lbw Edwards 0, P Bradshaw c Bishop b Rash 8, A Todd b Rash 1, M Addison b Nunn 26, R Goodenough not out 4; extras 47. Total (66 overs) 273. Bowling: P Edwards 15-2-43-2, M Nunn 9-1-25-2, S Rees 6-0-46-0, T Rash 17-2-70-3, T Huggins 18-4-51-2, J McKinney 1-0-5-1.

Bury St Edmunds: T Huggins not out 156, J Bishop c Shearer b Addison 23, S Harvey c Shearer b Bradshaw 41, S Rees b Snyman 18, T Rash not out 27, T Adams not out 0; extras 9. Total (4 wkts, 53.4 overs) 274. Bowling: P Bradshaw 16-1-90-1, M Addison 10.4-1-67-0, S Potger 4-1-25-0, G Snyman 16-2-60-1, A Todd 7-0-28-0.

• Great Witchingham (25 pts) beat Halstead (10 pts) by six wickets at Wallis Park.

Halstead: F Blackwell c J M Spelman b Hale 81, M Spatcher lbw McCone 2, B Blackwell c Rogers b J M Spelman 8, O Ekers c S Arthurton Jnr b Dyer 3, S Rasel c Groves b Hale 19, C Douglas-Hughes c Groves b Rogers 3, M Johnson c J O Spelman b Rogers 76, T Philip c-b J M Spelman 11, C Rayner not out 17, E Clark not out 0; extras 13. Total (8 wkts, 66 overs) 233. Bowling: R McCone 18-5-40-1, J M Spelman 17-3-53-2, A Dyer 4-0-20-1, C Rogers 17-4-66-2, J Hale 9-0-47-2, S Arthurton Jnr 1-0-1-0.

Great Witchingham: J M c Blackwell b Philp 17, C Rogers b Douglas-Hughes 42, S Arthurton Jnr b Roper 42, T Collishaw c Rayner b Rasel 35, J Hale not out 11, R McCone not out 54; extras 9. Total (4 wkts, 50.1 overs) 234. Bowling: S Rasel 15.1-2-82-1, T Philp 8-1-37-1, M Spatcher 6-2-13-0, C Roper 10-0-43-1, C Douglas-Hughes 11-0-59-1.

• Norwich (30 pts) beat Saffron Walden (6 pts) by 68 runs at Saffron Walden.

Norwich: E Laubscher b Cousins 92, M Tipping st Gladwin b Smith 29, C Binnie lbw Smith 0, C Borrett b Rodgers 20, A M Watson lbw Ecclestone 27, H Bush not out 54, O Higenbottam c Laws b Smith 3, J Blake c Gladwin b Rodgers 7, B Flanagan b Rodgers 0, P Wiseman c Smith b Rodgers 4, Tom Booth run out 0; extras 4. Total (65.1 overs) 240. Bowling D Cousins 15-4-51-1, J Rodgers 14.1-2-54-4, T Smith 18-5-45-3, S Larsen 5-0-26-0, A Marjoribanks 6-1-24-0, G Ecclestone 7-1-37-1.

Saffron Walden: G Gillard run out 61, S Livermore c Bush b Booth 6, A Laws lbw A M Watson 13, S Parmenter c Flanagan b Borrett 40, G Ecclestone b Flanagan b Borrett 12, N Gladwin c Bush b Borrett 8, A Marjoribanks lbw Borrett 1, J Rodgers lbw A M Watson 0, T Smith lbw Borrett 4, S Larsen not out 6, D Cousins st Blake b A M Watson 2; extras 19. Total (51 overs) 172. Bowling: P Wiseman 9-2-27-0, T Booth 9-1-25-1, A M Watson 17-6-37-3, E Laubsher 1-1-0-0, H Bush 7-0-26-0, C Borrett 7-0-34-5, B Flanagan 1-0-5-0.

• Sudbury (10 pts) drew with Horsford (16 points) at Sudbury.

Horsford: N Perry-Warnes c Batch b Fernando 15, Matt Warnes lbw Reece 38, R O'Connell st Mansfield b Reece 22, D Clark c Phillips b Reece 68, C Spenceley c Simmons b Reece 4, M Wilkinson c Fernando b Poulson 17, M Spenceley c Gallagher b Reece 31, L Findlay c Poulson b Reece 23, C Brown not out 15, Michael Warnes c Reece b Fernando 11, D Smith not out 10; extras 11. Total (9 wkts, 66 overs) 265. Bowling: J Gallagher 6.4-2-10-0, K Fernando 17-3-67-2, D Batch 11.2-2-62-0, A Simmons 11-1-42-0, B Reece 18-2-70-6, J Poulton 2-0-6-1.

Sudbury: J Phillips c Smith b Brown 6, A Younger c Matt Warnes b Findlay 25, D Batch c Perry-Warnes b Brown 17, J Poulson lbw O'Connell 33, K Fernando lbw Brown 34, N Poole c-b Spenceley 36, P Siegert not out 18, B Reece not out 26; extras 21. Total (6 wkts, 63 overs) 216. Bowling: Michael Warnes 7-0-38-0, C Brown 18-8-19-3, R O'Connell 18-3-47-1, L Findlay 12-3-49-1, D Clark 3-0-11-0, N Perry-Warnes 2-0-8-0, C Spenceley 2-0-12-1, Matt Warnes 1-0-12-0.

• Swardeston (25 pts) beat Clacton (10 pts) by 10 wickets at Swardeston.

Clacton: G Davson c Thomas b Walker 138, S Facey b Thelwell 0, M Cull c Rist b Walker 27, G Brown lbw Walker 38, S Gericke b Hatwell 66, I Sheikh b Eccles 0, C Finney not out 21, L Kirk c Walker b Hatwell 0, R Chamberlain not out 2; extras 16. Total (7 wkts, 66 overs) 308. Bowling: M Eccles 18-2-89-1, S Thelwell 7-0-37-1, M Thomas 4-0-19-0, G Walker 18-1-79-3, J Hatwell 18-2-71-2, J Abraham 1-0-9-0.

Swardeston: J Abraham not out 221, D Martin not out 70; extras 19. Total (0 wkts, 49.3 overs) 310. Bowling: 7-0-60-0, R Dhaliwal 4-0-34-0, S Gericke 11-2-52-0, I Sheikh 12.3-1-55-0, L Kirk 8-0-51-0, M Beeson 7-0-40-0.

• Burwell (315-6, 17 pts) drew with Cambridge Granta (254-4, 11 pts).