Nine wickets for Baz Sewell (5-53) and Steve Hamlin (4-51) set Dunmow up for a four-wicket victory at Exning on Saturday.

The result was the side’s seventh win from 17 games and sees them sixth in the Two Counties Championship Division Two table.

On a perfect day for cricket Dunmow travelled to the picturesque Suffolk village of Exning looking for a win to cement their place in the top half of the standings.

The hosts won the toss, chose to bat and recovered from the early loss of their captain to produce a decent second wicket stand.

Dunmow’s introduction of slow bowler Sewell brought early rewards as both players succumbed to catches in the outfield off consecutive balls.

Number five bat Ollie Lawson then strode to the wicket for only his second game of the season.

He smashed the ball to all parts of the field, rode his luck and from 79-5 built a platform for the later batsmen to add to.

Lawson went for 69 to a brilliant catch from Ben Sedman, his second of the game.

Exning batted through to the close finishing on a reasonable 177 all out from the 45 overs.

Sewell was the top wicket-taker with 5-53 from his 15 overs and Hamlin 4-51 from his 15.

George Gallant chipped in with 1-40 from 7 overs.

After a hearty tea Dunmow set about their chase with gusto.

Luke Swanston was the first to go for 25 with Naveed Ali soon following for a breezy 49 inclusing three sixes.

Both fell to the leg spin of Lawson and from 73-0 in 12 overs Dunmow slid to 88-4 with Lawson taking 3-5 from five overs.

Dunmow looked rattled, but then entered Nick Kesingland the Kevin Peterson lookalike.

After surviving a tough chance on six, he went on to bludgeon the ball to all parts being particularly severe on Lawson.

Kesingland hit five sixes in an innings of 58 during a stand of 60 with skipper Paul Reid who fell in the next over for two.

Their 148-6 soon became 178-6 as Ben Sedman got into the act with some quite astonishing if unorthodox shots to end 25 not out with two sixes.

Dunmow had finished with an incredible 10 maximums in the innings so a maximum 20 points were achieved.

On Saturday Dunmow entertain fifth placed Mildenhall 2nds.