Cup upset bid foiled by Free

KEITH PEEL Frustration was the name of the game for Dereham as a glory chance went begging. Vauxhall Mallards cashed in on a missed catch to book their Bob Carter Cup quarter-final place with an 89-run victory.

KEITH PEEL

Frustration was the name of the game for Dereham as a glory chance went begging.

Vauxhall Mallards cashed in on a missed catch to book their Bob Carter Cup quarter-final place with an 89-run victory.

Competition winners seven times in the last 11 seasons, they slipped to 23 for four, but rallied to post 244 for six thanks to skipper Peter Free's 156 not out.

“He crucially survived when a sharp slip catch went to ground early in his innings and then single-handedly rescued his side with a superb innings,” praised Dereham chairman and opener Philip Banyard.

“It is disappointing because we will probably never get a better chance to beat them, given the position we were in early on. Mallards had a few players missing on Norfolk duty, but they still had plenty of strength in their side.

“But overall I think we gave a very good account of ourselves, and we can take plenty of positives from the way we performed.”

Swardeston, the holders, won by 203 runs at Brooke after posting 348 for two, with Richard Sims scoring 141 not out and Jaden Hatwell 126 not out.

Horsford beat Bradenham by 233 runs at Manor Park in a match which saw their first team individual batting record broken for the second time in two days.

Former Zimbabwe Test player Grant Flower had set a new standard with an unbeaten 166 in the Gibbs Denley East Anglian Premier League defeat of Godmanchester.

Craig Thyssen, 22, who plays first-class cricket in South Africa, nudged him into second place on the honours board with 176, including 14 sixes and 11 fours.

Matthew Warnes weighed in with 105 not out and Matt Willmott with 58 as Horsford amassed 367 for two and then bowled out Bradenham for 134.

Norfolk's two other Gibbs Denley East Anglian Premier Division teams both went out of the prestigious tournament. Fakenham lost by nine wickets to North Runcton, for whom Christo de Jager hit 137 not out, while Norwich lost by two wickets to Norwich & Coltishall Wanderers, who won with just two balls to spare.

Felix Flower hit 82, Mohammad Wasim 52 and 16-year-old Peter Lambert 48.

Great Witchingham, Lowestoft and Old Buckenham also go into the hat for the June 25 quarter-final draw, being made on BBC Radio Norfolk tomorrow at 6.30pm.

Great Witchingham beat Swaffham by eight wickets, Tom Goodley sealing victory with a huge six out of the ground.

Goodley scored 49 not out and Shaun Arthurton 45 after Stuart Evans had earlier taken four for 25 to help dismiss Swaffham for 119.

Lowestoft beat Beccles by 55 runs, while Ian Harrison (62) and Terry Perry (39) guided Old Buckenham to a 10-wicket victory after Dersingham had been dismissed for 117, with seamer Greg Mann taking five for 16 on his first team debut.