Halstead (240) lost to Haverhill (241 for 8) by two wickets

Marshall Hatchick Two Counties Championship division one

HALSTEAD Cricket Club's first-team fell to a narrow defeat off the penultimate ball of the final over against local rivals Haverhill.

Batting first in their Marshall Hatchick Two Counties Championship division one clash at Star Stile, Charlie Douglas-Hughes and Oli Grayson got the hosts off to a good a start by putting on 65 for the first wicket.

Douglas-Hughes was the man out for 29, hitting five fours before being bowled by Ben Wilkins to bring skipper Josh Wells to the crease.

Wells and Grayson added a further 47 runs for the second wicket before the former was caught off Wilkins for 22.

Grayson passed his half-century, though, batting with Larvet Masunda, but the Zimbabwean became Wilkins’ third victim with the score on 149.

However, after making a good start, the Halstead middle-order once again struggled.

Mark Johnson (3), Goush Raviendran (4) and Chris Rayner (3) failed to make an impact, with Harry Veal’s 20 being the only score of note.

While wickets fell at the other end, though, Grayson kept his head and moved toward a maiden Halstead ton, but he missed a straight delivery from Dan Pass to end his vigil on 92.

His innings still earned praise from Phil Toogood, though, as Halstead's director of cricket felt it was a key positive on an ultimately disappointing afternoon.

He said: "If there was one positive, it would have to be Oli's knock.

"He showed he had promise last year, but now he has proved himself and that he is a good batter at that standard of cricket."

Following Grayson's dismissal, Adam Morris (15) and Joe Morris (8) ticked the score along, but the tail could only get Halstead to a total of 240 all out and it looked short of where they would have hoped to have been when on 112 for one.

The Haverhill reply was measured, with some sloppy ground fielding ensuring that most visiting players got starts.

Veal and Joe Morris went wicketless in their first spells as Pass (29) and Phillips (23) saw out the Halstead openers.

Wells introduced himself to the attack, claiming the scalps of both opening batsmen, with Joe Morris and Masunda taking the respective catches.

This brought Chris Palmer to the middle and he proved to be the man who would be the mainstay of the Haverhill innings.

The off-spin of Douglas-Hughes had Adam Dellar (10) caught by Raviendran, with fellow slow bowler Chris Roper accounting for Dave Humphrey (11).

Palmer was joined by Alex Burrows (43), though, and the pair set the foundations for what looked like it would be an easy coast to victory for the visitors.

The latter was trapped lbw by Wells just shy of his half-century, before three wickets in an over from Joe Morris set up a tense finale.

However, Wilkins and Will Bailey did not let the occasion get the better of them and they guided their side home.