FOURTH place toppled third in Division Five as Thaxted beat Little Hadham in the Herts and Essex Cricket League. Thaxted won the toss and put the away team into bat. Aaron Gent and Mark Taylor bowled the first 16 overs with the return of one wicket for f

FOURTH place toppled third in Division Five as Thaxted beat Little Hadham in the Herts and Essex Cricket League.

Thaxted won the toss and put the away team into bat. Aaron Gent and Mark Taylor bowled the first 16 overs with the return of one wicket for few runs.

Change bowlers John Henry 4-31 and Sean Murphy 1-19 steadied the ship with Murphy getting the prize scalp of Keith Wheatley.

Luke Matthew spun his magic to tweak out 2-20 as Little Hadham were all out for 152.

In reply, Thaxted started badly losing John Grinham, Phil Leach and Paul Taylor in the first six overs. Two 50-run partnerships between Gent (45) and Murphy (19) and then Pete Leach (28) and Tim Dixon (23) sent Thaxted through to a two-wicket victory.

Seventeen-year-old Scott Smith had got the ball rolling with a quick 25 at number five.

Clavering slipped to defeat against Ashdon on Sunday despite the efforts of Clavering's veteran bowling attack of Richard Carter and Chris Bessant.

Clavering won the toss and opted to bat on a tricky pitch. Ashdon's opening attack of Salt and O'Gorman kept things tight and the home team struggled.

It was left to tailender Andy Barnard to hit a season's best 32 as Clavering finished on 158-9.

Ashdon's opening pair of Millership and Curzon gave the visitors a solid start and skipper Furze accelerated the scoring.

Clavering hit back, taking wickets at regular intervals and in Bessant, who had just come out of retirement, had the best bowler in the match.

The veteran took 4-30 to keep Clavering in the game. However, Ashdon's tailenders did well to hit the winning runs with two overs to spare to give the visitors a deserved three-wicket win.

Clavering are due to travel to Thaxted this weekend.

After last week's rained off game, it was essential that Rayne II beat Rayleigh III to keep in the hunt for promotion from T-Rippon Mid-Essex League Division Nine.

With six bowlers in the line-up, skipper Nick Alen elected to field first after winning the toss.

A good start from Richard Dawson and Tom Alen restricted Rayleigh, T Alen getting two scalps to make it 39-2.

A 67-run partnership between J Ellis and J Donohue moved Rayleigh to 207-8. Rob May 3-35, T Alen 3-30 and Nick Alen 2-55 shone with the ball .

In reply, Alan Trigg was caught at first slip but Nick Collins came in and with Mick Fish shared a partnership of 51, taking the score to 68-3.

Collins went for 51 and soon Rayne were struggling at 105-6. John Garner supported May with a partnership of 40.

Needing 63 off the last 10 overs, May kept hitting boundaries, including a six out of the ground. T Alen helped May in a partnership of 22 with May (82no) hitting the winning runs to win by two wickets.

Saturday sees Rayne II entertain unbeaten Canvey Island II.

Aythorpe Roding's Sunday side completed a fine weekend for the club winning at home by four wickets against Capricorn.

The visitors batted first and J Patel (62) and D Patel (53) helped them on to 188-9 in 40 overs.

Will Farr 4-29 was the best of the Aythorpe bowlers.

Neil Culleton hit 52 in reply before Farr (53no) and Graham Milbank (28no) guided Aythorpe to a four-wicket victory with just four balls to spare.

This Sunday Aythorpe travel to East Hanningfield (2pm).