East of England U25 Competition Huntingdonshire U25 254-7 Essex U25 98 Huntingdonshire U25 won by 156 runs HUNTS moved back to the top of the East of England Development Competition with a crushing 156 run victory over Essex. The home side proved superio

East of England U25 Competition

Huntingdonshire U25 254-7 Essex U25 98

Huntingdonshire U25 won by 156 runs

HUNTS moved back to the top of the East of England Development Competition with a crushing 156 run victory over Essex.

The home side proved superior in every aspect of the game, batting with confidence, bowling with tightness and accuracy and taking eight of the Essex wickets with some excellent catches in the field.

Opting to bat first, Alan Burton (32) and Ollie Huggins (69) got Hunts off to a great start of 74 for the first wicket, which is their best start for more than two years.

When Burton was caught out, Josh Brodie (28) joined Huggins and the pair added a further 51 before the second wicket fell.

Huggins's departure with 69, his personal best at this level, sparked the loss of two further wickets in just six balls as

Essex desperately tried to stamp some

authority on the game.

But the arrival of captain Paul Swannell transformed the innings. He and Adam Cousins added 47 in just six overs and Swannell went on to reach an impressive 72 not out, including two sixes, from just 48 balls.

Hunts went on to make a further 83 runs in the last 10 overs, leaving the visitors with a formidable target of 254 with just seven wickets falling.

A clearly uninspired Essex batting team looked completely dejected and were never able to make a game of it.

At one stage, the visitors were standing at just 26 for five with opening bowlers Michael Kay (three for 14) and Jay Szwajbak (two for nine) doing the early damage.

Theeobon Tavarasa (14) came in at number five to calm the onslaught, standing at the crease for half an hour. But the wickets continued to fall and at 67 for nine and it seemed that a very early finish was looming.

The last two Essex batsmen, Babar Choundhary (12 not out) and Ryan Savill (16), added 31 before the last wicket fell to produce a semblance of respectability in defeat.