IT was the manner of Halstead Cricket Club's win at Mistley that pleased captain Josh Wells as much as taking another 20-point haul in Marshall Hatchick Two Counties Championship division one.

It was a nail-biting ending to the game at New Road as Halstead snuck over the line for a one-wicket victory and Wells was delighted to see his team over the line as he admitted it was a game that they may have lost in the past.

He feels the spirit shown by the players to get themselves home from a perilous position shows the growing maturity in the side and the steps they have taken over the past year.

Wells said: "I think I aged about ten years in the second half of that game but it was pleasing to get the win.

"We've now won four of our six games and the other three of those have been rather convincing when we've rolled teams over, but this was hard-fought.

"We don't really tend to win games like that when we've had a collapse and are 70-odd for six chasing 140, so to come through it in a way that we typically wouldn't have in the past is really good.

"I think it has come from us being in situations like that in the past and it shows that we've learned from previous mistakes as we showed we can get it home.

"The progress is starting to show and we've now won a lot more games than we had at the same stage of the season last year.

"This was the first real collapse we've had and I think it shows we're a tougher team this year."

Halstead were chasing a score of 141 set by Mistley and had lost early wickets as they stumbled to 77 for six and looked vulnerable, but the lower order dug in and got them home, with Joe Morris' knock of 21 anchoring the late hitting that got them over the line.

But while it was the heroic late batting display that earned much of the plaudits, Wells felt the basis for his team's victory laid in their display in the field.

He added: "We bowled really well and were pleased to have bowled them out for 141 on what was a good pitch.

"Everyone pitched in with wickets and it was a real team performance with the ball.

"That's good to see and it has been that way this season really with good team unity putting us in strong positions."

Halstead will be looking to back up their win when they host Braintree at Star Stile tomorrow.

Wells said the only change he expected was Chris Rayner returning to the line-up with Adam Morris dropping into the seconds.