WITH promotion to Division One of the Marshall Hatchick Two Counties Cricket Championship guaranteed, a much weakened Exning side took on Kelvedon and Feering at the Park.
Batting first, Richard Ford and Peter Woods weathered an early storm as they kept the scoreboard ticking over.
Woods executed some delicately placed boundaries through the mid-wicket area before he was dismissed just two runs short of a deserved h
alf-century having helped Ford put on 166 runs for the first wicket.
David Atkinson then helped take the score well over 200 with seven huge sixes, mostly over square and mid-wicket, reaching 107 for his second century of a successful season.
Skipper Matthew Catley did little more than play a supporting role in the last stand of the innings as Atkinson skipped along to an unbeaten 61 in a third wicket stand of 51 to leave the visitors facing a total of 262-2 at tea.
Kelvedon and Feering's reply started off at a furious pace with ex-Wolverhampton Wanderers footballer Gary Bellamy (28) tucking into the first overs from Woods and Freddy Steele, putting 25 on the board after two overs.
The Park side removed the dangerous opener by way of a sharp catch at first slip before Woods managed to entice an lbw decision out of the umpire to dismiss James Baker for 19.
Matthew Catley joined in the bowling ranks to claim a wicket leaving the visitors' score at 85-5 with only 15 overs gone.
The full article contains 253 words and appears in Newmarket Journal newspaper.
