KEITH PEEL Andrew Tweedie sent Horsford crashing as Bury St Edmunds moved closer to clinching their second successive Gibbs Denley East Anglian Premier Cricket League championship.

KEITH PEEL

Andrew Tweedie sent Horsford crashing as Bury St Edmunds moved closer to clinching their second successive Gibbs Denley East Anglian Premier Cricket League championship. Bury's five-wicket win takes them a massive 58 points clear of second-placed Swardeston, whose game against Cambridge Granta was abandoned as a draw because of rain. Horsford slip from third to fifth behind Clacton and Norwich, who are level on points after respectively beating Mildenhall and drawing at Fakenham.

Vauxhall Mallards stay third from bottom, and level on points with Fakenham, after their match at Godmanchester was abandoned.

Tweedie took the first five wickets to fall, and finished with six for 32, as Horsford were bowled out for 130 at the Victory Ground.

Their total would have been even more modest but for Nathan Perry-Warnes (36) and Paul Newman (28), who produced a 60-run stand after their side had crumbled to 53 for seven. Chris Warn scored 59 not out in Bury's 133 for five response.

Jacques Du Toit was the star of curtailed proceedings at Clare College.

First he took six for 43 as Swardeston posted 212 for seven from 58 overs, with Darin Goodrum (41) putting on 67 for the fourth wicket with Richard Sims, whose unbeaten 98 contained 12 fours and a six.

Then he scored 79 as Granta made 102 for two before a halt was called.

Ben Patston hit 67, Olly Higenbottam 63, Gordon Kerr 54 and Chris Borrett 47 as Norwich amassed a daunting 309 for eight at Highfield Lawn, where Chris Crane took five for 68.

Stephen Gray cracked 62 as Fakenham mustered 133 for nine in reply, with Shaun Roberts bagging four for 24 and Kerr three for 36, including a hat-trick.

Norwich, who were third from bottom four weeks ago, are now only a dozen points off second place after coming close to their fourth successive win over Norfolk sides, having earlier in the month beaten Mallards, Swardeston and Horsford.

“We have reaped the reward of playing positive cricket,” said skipper Borrett.

Godmanchester had made 187 for seven, with Matt Durrant contributing 74, when rain forced a halt to their match against Mallards.

Simon Greyvesteyn took five for 17 as bottom team Mildenhall were bowled out for 140 at Wamil Way.

Clacton responded with 142 for four, with 49 of their runs coming from Ryan Ten Doeschate and 34 from Martyn Cull, who was celebrating his Minor Counties debut call-up for Suffolk against Cambridgeshire.

Fixtures for next Saturday (11am) are Clacton v Fakenham, Horsford v Cambridge Granta, Mildenhall v Vauxhall Mallards, Norwich v Bury (at Ingham) and Swardeston v Godmanchester.