Norfolk forced to settle for a draw in opening Manor Park Festival match

Brett Stolworthy was the only Norfolk bowler to taste success on day three at Manor Park Picture: TIM FERLEY (Image: Archant)

Norfolk had to settle for a draw in their opening Festival match of the summer against Staffordshire after a frustrating final day at Manor Park.

Set an unlikely 368 to win in a minimum of 70 overs the visitors knew avoiding defeat was their main priority and did so with the minimum of fuss as they finished on 125 for the loss of just one wicket.

Having started the day 242 ahead with all 10 wickets second innings wickets standing, Norfolk looked to have a reasonable chance of inflicting a first defeat of the season on the early Minor Counties Championship East Division pace-setters.

But with runs not easy to come by on another hot day they were made to fight every inch of the way to put themselves in a position to declare and were then unable to repeat their first innings heroics with the ball, when they bowled the opposition out for 206.

A draw was still a respectable result however and Norfolk will now be aiming to follow it up with a win in their next Festival fixture against Hertfordshire, which gets under way on Sunday.

Having put on 146 for the first wicket on Monday, openers Sam Arthurton and Jason Reynolds had added only three to the total when the former was caught by Andy Carr off the bowling of Michael Hill for 90.

Reynolds soon followed for 55 after being trapped in front by Daniel Richardson and those early dismissals set the tone for the morning as left arm seamer Hill took centre stage.

He ended up with the superb figures of 7-55 in just 13 overs as all the remaining batsman struggled to make an impact.

Tom New followed up his first innings century with a swift 24, but no-one else managed to get past 20, and it took a last wicket partnership of 38 between Sam Groves and Brett Stolworthy to finally set up a declaration at 271-9, with 125 runs having been added in 29 overs on day three.

It was tough going, with a slow Staffordshire over rate hardly helping the cause.

Norfolk's victory bid got off to a dream start when former Worcestershire player Kadeer Ali, who had made 124 in the first innings, was bowled by Stolworthy to leave the visitors on 5-1.

But that was the end of the drama, with Sam Kelsall and Alex Mellor putting on an unbroken 120 for the second wicket.