Long Sutton came within one wicket of their first win of the South Lincs Border League Championship.
After posting 171/6, Sutton had visitors Newborough rocking at 58/4 and looked favourites for victory when that became 159/9 but the last pair stood firm and limped over the line with 13 balls to spare.
Sutton had slumped to 26/3 in their innings but Dom Clay (62no) and Dan Oldfield (51) put on 102 for the fourth wicket to give them a fighting chance as they reached 171/6 from their 45 overs.
Josh Baker was the destroyer-in-chief, taking 5-39 from his nine overs, in the Newborough reply. Barry Stanway chipped in with 2-20 and a wicket each for Joe Whitaker and Tim Norris ensured the match proved to be a cliff-hanger.
There was better news for Long Sutton Seconds in Division One, where they chalked up a six-wicket win at Market Deeping Seconds.
Ross Barnes hit an unbeaten 113 for the hosts in their 253/6. Charith Harshana was the pick of the Sutton bowlers with 3-43 and there was a wicket apiece for Thilani Dilshan, Callum John and Aron John.
In response, solid knocks from captain John (83), Dilshan (67) and Harshana (46) kept the target in sight, with Adam Wright’s unbeaten 22 seeing them over the line after 35 overs.
Long Sutton are fielding two teams in the Kevin Grimmer Division of the Mid-Norfolk Sunday League and it was the turn of the Mallards to be in action.
After losing both openers with only nine runs on the board, Alastair Drohan (41) and Paul Rushen (34) stopped the rot with a 78-run partnership to move them to a more respectable 87/2.
That quickly became 89/5 before Ellis Redden (17), Craig Milnes (16no) and Steven Milnes (16no) pushed them on to 160/9 from their 40 overs.
Bircham made light work of their reply with two of the top three batsmen retiring not out when they reached their half-centuries on the way to a winning 161/2 in the 32nd over.
Eranda Munasinghege (1-28) and Faz Mukhtar (1-30) saw the only success with the ball.
