GIBBS DENLEY EAPL REVIEW: Carl Rogers continued his outstanding start to the season as leaders Vauxhall Mallards were undone by Great Witchingham on Saturday.

The former Norfolk captain top scored with 85 for Witchingham and later chipped in with a wicket, while New Zealander Ryan McCone bagged his second five-wicket haul of the season – including a hat-trick – to complete the Witches' 70-run victory.

Witchingham skipper James Spelman won the toss at Brundall and chose to bat and along with Rogers he gave his side a solid platform.

The duo put on 80 before Spelman (45) departed and although Sam Arthurton was dismissed cheaply, Rogers and Tom Collishaw (41) added 72 for the third wicket.

Rogers' innings of 85 from 127 balls, including 14 fours, was ended by Martin Addison and Witchingham lost wickets regularly as they closed on 246 for nine. Richard Moores was Mallards' leading bowler as he collected five for 56.

Mallards had reached 60 without loss in reply when Spelman struck a key blow, removing Rogers' former Norfolk opening partner Carl Amos caught and bowled.

Rogers removed fellow opener David Turner and Spelman also accounted for Moores, before McCone's devastating burst put Witchingham firmly in charge. First he claimed the wicket of dangerman Gerrie Snyman, before bowling Ali Shearer first ball. From his next delivery, Simon Potger fended a short ball to slip where Sam Arthurton took the catch to complete McCone's hat-trick, leaving Mallards on 92 for six.

The Mallards lower order battled, but McCone (five for 47) returned to claim the final two wickets as the hosts were all out for 176 in the 52nd over.

Horsford jumped above Swardeston into second place after beating their Norfolk rivals by four wickets at Manor Park.

Swardeston elected to bat first and at 111 for three, they were well placed for a strong total, thanks to contributions from Daniel Martin (38), Peter Lambert (30) and Ian Tufts (29). But two wickets just before lunch from Reece O'Connell and one straight after the break from Chris Brown reduced them to 117 for six. Skipper Mark Thomas hit a quickfire 22, but his side were all out for 143, with four wickets each for Brown and O'Connell.

In Horsford's reply, Michael Eccles trapped Nathan Perry-Warnes lbw without scoring, but a second wicket stand of 93 between Matthew Warnes (50) and O'Connell (57) put the hosts on course. George Walker then claimed four wickets, but Horsford reached their target in the 42nd over.

Norwich moved to within a point of fellow strugglers Halstead at the bottom as they claimed a draw against Clacton at Postwick.

The visitors opted to bat first and it was an even contest between bat and ball until Clacton's seventh wicket pair conjured up a stand of 91, allowing them to post a final score of 285 for seven. The spinners were the main threat for Norwich, with Ashley Watson taking three wickets and Harry Bush claiming two.

Norwich made a confident start in reply as openers Oliver Higenbottam and Erik Laubscher put on 63, but South African slow left arm bowler Stefanus Gericke dismissed both men in quick succession on his way to a five-wicket haul.

Chris Borrett (63) shared solid partnerships with Harry Bush and Ben Wright (42) to give the hosts hope, but a flurry of dismissals left ninth wicket pair Aaron Watson and Ben Flanagan batting out for a draw as Norwich finished on 240 for eight.

Elsewhere, there were comfortable wins for Cambridge Granta over Halstead and Bury St Edmunds against Sudbury, while Saffron Walden held on for a draw at home to Burwell.

• EAPL SCORECARDS

• Horsford (25pts) beat Swardeston (3) by four wickets at Manor Park.

Swardeston: J Abraham c Smith b Warnes 14, D Martin c Reece b Brown 38, P Lambert c Smith b Warnes 30, J Hatwell lbw O'Connell 1, I Tufts c Caswell b O'Connell 29, G Walker lbw O'Connell 3, M Thomas c Spenceley b Brown 22, T Bailey lbw Brown 1, M Eccles c Caswell b O'Connell 0, S Thelwell c O'Connell b Brown 0, M Taylor not out 1; extras 4. Total (44.4 overs) 143. Bowling: M Warnes 9-1-41-2, L Caswell 4-1-15-0, R O'Connell 18-3-62-4, C Brown 11.4-5-19-4.

Horsford: N Perry-Warnes lbw Eccles 0, M Warnes b Walker 50, R O'Connell b Walker 57, D Clark c Lambert b Hatwell 0, L Caswell b Walker 12, C Spenceley lbw Walker 16, M Wilkinson not out 3, C Brown not out 3; extras 3. Total (6 wkts, 41.2 overs) 144. Bowling: M Eccles 8-2-28-1, S Thelwell 6-0-23-0, G Walker 16.2-3-36-4, M Taylor 2-0-19-0, J Hatwell 9-1-35-1.

• Norwich (10) drew with Clacton (17) at Postwick.

Clacton-on-Sea: M Cull b Wiseman 15, G Davson lbw AM Watson 68, G Brown c Wright b Bush 34, M Comber lbw Bush 18, S Facey st Blake b AM Watson 8, I Sheikh st Blake b AM Watson 34, S Gericke not out 47, R Chamberlain c Higenbottam b Flanagan 44, L Kirk not out 1; extras 16. Total (7 wkts, 66 overs) 285. Bowling: AA Watson 16-3-61-0, P Wiseman 13-3-50-1, B Flanagan 10-0-50-1, AM Watson 18-5-67-3, H Bush 9-1-47-2.

Norwich: O Higenbottam c Dhaliwal b Gericke 19, E Laubscher c Barnard b Gericke 44, H Bush b Gericke 16, C Borrett c Brown b Gericke 63, B Wright b Dhaliwal 42, AM Watson c-b Sheikh 29, C Sutton lbw Dhaliwal 0, J Blake lbw Gericke 2, AA Watson not out 5, B Flanagan not out 6; extras 14. Total (8 wkts, 54 overs) 240. Bowling: M Comber 16-1-60-0, L Kirk 3-0-38-0, S Gericke 18-6-64-5, I Sheikh 13-3-50-1, R Dhaliwal 4-1-20-2.

• Great Witchingham (30) beat Vauxhall Mallards (6) by 70 runs at Brundall.

Great Witchingham: JM Spelman c Potger b Moores 45, C Rogers c Free b Addison 85, S Arthurton Jnr c Turner b Moores 1, T Collishaw lbw Bradshaw 41, S Arthurton Snr c Moores b Bradshaw 7, R McCone c Amos b Moores 26, JO Spelman not out 13, B Ringer c Goodenough b Moores 8, M Hale c-b Moores 9, J Page c Gilbert b Snyman 2, A Dyer not out 0; extras 9. Total (9 wkts, 66 overs) 246. Bowling: P Bradshaw 18-2-55-2, M Addison 18-1-57-1, G Snyman 11-1-50-1, R Moores 14-1-56-5, S Potger 4-0-22-0, P Free 1-0-1-0.

Vauxhall Mallards: C Amos c-b J M Spelman 35, D Turner c Collishaw b Rogers 23, R Moores c Hale b JM Spelman 5, G Snyman c S Arthurton Jnr b McCone 21, P Free c Dyer b S Arthurton Jnr 22, A Shearer b McCone 0, S Potger c S Arthurton Jnr b McCone 0, R Goodenough not out 14, P Bradshaw lbw JM Spelman 20, C Gilbert c Collishaw b McCone 12, M Addison b McCone 4; extras 20. Total (52 overs) 176. Bowling: R McCone 12-2-47-5, JM Spelman 18-3-46-3, A Dyer 7-2-33-0, C Rogers 12-3-21-1, S Arthurton Jnr 3-0-16-1.

• Cambridge Granta (25pts) 76-1 beat Halstead (0pts) 72 (C Park 4-32) by nine wickets at Clare College.

• Burwell (15pts) 227 (K Jarvis 66, N Batchelor 4-46, T Smith 4-33) drew with Saffron Walden (10 pts) 195-9 (R Mordini 65, A Huckle 4-37) at Saffron Walden.

• Bury St Edmunds (25pts) 117-3 (S Rees 73) beat Sudbury (1pt) 116 by seven wickets at Sudbury.