The fact that it was in a winning cause made Halstead Cricket Club skipper Josh Wells’ double century extra special as his team picked up a crucial Marshall Hatchick Two Counties Championship division one victory against Mildenhall.

On a batsman’s paradise at Star Stile, Wells made 201 of Halstead’s runs as they set the visitors a target of 345.

It may have been uncomfortably close at one stage as Mildenhall made a good fist of their chase, but late wickets in an impressive spell of death bowling from Joe Morris saw them come up an agonising eight runs short.

It was Wells’ innings that was the highlight of the day, though.

He hit 21 fours and eight sixes in bringing up his second club double-century off just 132 deliveries and it came a week after he scored 136 against leaders Sudbury.

Wells said he considered that innings as a better one than the one against Mildenhall, but that previous knock came in a one-wicket defeat and the fact that it laid the base for his team’s win this time meant it was a special one for the 21-year-old Halstead captain.

He said: “If I’m honest, I think I batted a lot better against Sudbury the week before.

“I didn’t start great, but once I got to 50, it just clicked for me and everything seemed to either go for four or six.

“It has to be up there, though, and being in a winning cause made it more special.

“Had we won against Sudbury, then I’d have said that would have been a better knock, but the fact that we went on to win this game did mean it was a good one.”

Halstead will be looking to continue their good form when they head to Mistley today, but are set to be without Charlie Douglas-Hughes and Wajahat Bukhari.

However, Neal Dakin and Sam Walter both return to the side and Wells believes the team can push on now until the end of the season.

He added: “The last couple of games really show what we’ve known all along – that we’re more than capable of doing it.”