A quickfire innings and a smart spell of bowling helped Sawtry take over at the top of Hunts League Division Three last Saturday.
Hayden Bream cracked 91 off just 57 balls and Brian Chapman swooped for 5-24 in a 170-run victory against Ramsey 3rds.
Bream and Glyn Smith produced a ton-plus opening stand as Sawtry amassed 261-9 before removing their hosts for 91.
That emphatic result allowed them to leapfrog previous leaders Upwood, who were beaten by six wickets at Peterborough side Orton Park 2nd after only managing to put 151 runs on the board.
Two men making their first-ever centuries helped Huntingdon & District 2nds to victory in a run-fest at Burghley Park 2nds.
Nazam Jawaid clubbed an unbeaten 157 while Zubair Maqsood retired having reached 102 as the locals piled up 321-2 before completing a 61-run success when dismissing their hosts for 261.
Having two in-form Andys proved handy as Brampton collected a first win of the season.
Andy Canham returned the outstanding figures of 5-7 and skipper Andy Watts followed up 3-22 with an unbeaten 44 as his side scraped to a two-wicket triumph against Ickwell 2nds in Division Four.
The terrific bowling effort saw Ickwell 2nds crumble to 110 all out despite being 50-0 at one stage, but Brampton made hard work of passing a modest target when falling to 25-5 before Watts steadied the ship.
Two brothers shared seven wickets as Little Paxton triumphed in a thriller at that level. Reece Beavis bagged 4-16 and sibling Troy claimed 3-26 in a one-wicket victory against Ketton 2nds.
Final pair Matthew Brown and Luca Jim-Huttly eventually ensured Little Paxton bettered a Ketton tally of 133 with nine balls to spare.
Captain Jeremy Burrows (75) was responsible for more than half of Hemingford Park’s total of 144 in a nine-wicket loss at Newborough 2nds.
Tom Agass impressed with bat and ball as Buckden prevailed against Ickwell in Division Two.
Agass top-scored with 46 as his side reached 144 before taking 3-18 as they dismissed the visitors for just 88.
Houghton & Wyton eased to a five-wicket success against Barnack, but Alconbury were beaten by Nassington 2nds by 114 runs after only managing that same number in pursuit of their opponents’ offering of 228-7.
A miserable season for local sides in the Hunts League top flight continued.
Ramsey 2nds, Eaton Socon 2nds and Waresley 2nds all slumped to Division One defeats – with the latter two teams still stuck in the relegation zone.
Bottom side Waresley 2nds suffered the heaviest reverse of the weekend as they went down to Burghley Park by eight wickets after being removed for 133.
Steve Warman hit 30 of those runs for a side yet to taste victory this summer.
Eaton Socon 2nds were seen off by seven wickets at Stamford after being dismissed for 137.
Karthik Jagadish (36) and Simon Cooper (35) were the heftiest scorers for the locals before Adam Fahey claimed 3-24 as the home side eased to victory in 20 overs.
Ramsey 2nds were pipped by Southill Park by one wicket after seeing their tally of 175 eclipsed by the visitors’ final pair.
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