KEITH PEEL Star bats Jaden Hatwell and Richard Sims featured in a double century stand as Swardeston went on a Gibbs Denley East Anglian Premier League run spree.

KEITH PEEL

Star bats Jaden Hatwell and Richard Sims featured in a double century stand as Swardeston went on a Gibbs Denley East Anglian Premier League run spree.

But their hopes of a key derby clash victory over Vauxhall Mallards were ultimately dashed by a defiant rearguard action.

The draw takes Swardeston up a place to second in the table, 29 points - effectively one win - behind reigning champions Bury St Edmunds, who beat Godmanchester by seven wickets.

Horsford are now third after a nine-wicket defeat of Clacton, with Cambridge Granta fourth after their five-wicket win at Fakenham, who are sixth. Mallards have slipped from second to fifth, while Norwich are eighth after drawing with bottom team Mildenhall.

Swardeston amassed 311 for four declared as they took advantage of a Mallards attack missing Martin Addison, Steve Goldsmith, who has dropped down to the second team, and, after just four overs, skipper Paul Bradshaw, who suffered another recurrence of his hamstring injury.

Will Rist scored his maiden EAPL half century before Hatwell and Sims took centre stage with a magnificent 214-run third-wicket partnership.

Hatwell hit 139, including five sixes and 18 fours, while Sims scored 87.

Mallards mustered 137 for eight in reply, Rob Purton top scoring with 40 and Swardeston captain Mark Thomas taking four for 22 from a 15-over stint.

Norfolk spinner Chris Brown took five for 42 as Clacton, after being 87 for one, were bowled out for 137 at Manor Park.

Grant Flower (63 not) and Matthew Warnes (52 not) steered Hosford to victory with an unbroken 115-run stand.

Zimbabwe international Flower's contribution takes his four-innings EAPL average to 443 runs after previous knocks of 166 not out, 147 and 67 not out.

Fakenham were dismissed for 183 at Highfield Lawn, where Alex De Lyon scored 44 of their runs, Michael Smith 33 and Sean Cooper 39 on his return after a spell away because of RAF commitments.

Tom Harvey led the 186 for five reply with 92 not out.

Norwich posted a daunting 334 for nine declared at Ingham, where skipper Chris Borrett and Matthew Ede put on 103 for the fourth wicket.

Borrett hit 76, including a dozen boundaries, while Ede scored 107, including 13 fours and two sixes.

Frantzwa Bester was Mildenhall's outstanding bowler with six for 80, while Marlon Franklyn took six for 57 in the 213 for eight reply, to which Steven Grinling contributed 59 and Peter Worthington 40.

Andrew McGarry claimed four key wickets as Godmanchester were bowled out for 147 at the Victory Ground, where Nick Lee scored 69 not out in Bury's 151 for three reply.