Kirkley & Belton hosted top of the table Castle Rising on Saturday in Norfolk League Division One.

After being put to bat in K&B found it hard to score freely on seaming track.

They were 26-2 after 18 overs and found themselves at 54-7 after 30.

Skipper Sajid Ali and Karan Sharma consolidated and then went on the attack, scoring 90 runs in the last 10 overs and sharing an unbeaten 110 run partnership for the eighth wicket, reaching a total of 164-7 in 45 overs.

The same two players opening the bowling attack for K&B and removed Castle Rising’s top four in first 20 overs conceding only 34 runs, with captain Ali returning 3-21 in his 10 overs.

At the this stage M Taylor found himself a partner to build a partnership for sixth wicket with and added valuable 90 runs but with the introduction of in-form Chris Lambert things change dramatically as he started to take wickets with his accurate leg spin. He had a match winning figures of 4-29 in 6.5 overs, taking Kirkley & Belton to an exciting nine run victory.

K&B, sponsored by Kia John Grose Ltd, playing Felthorpe away next.

Kirkley & Belton A, sponsored by Alan Boswell Insurance Group, beat Horsford B by four runs in another great advert for the league.

Fourth placed Horsford won the toss and put Kirkley into bat. Simon Bessey and Kevin Barnard opened and started brightly but Bessey fell just as he started to get going, Harvey Hebditch played some nice shots but he fell cheaply as did Steve Crispin and Dave Hayes. Captain Richard Daniels joined Barnard and soon got the scoreboard moving.

Daniels fell after a valuable 39, Barnard remaining not out on 71 as Kirkley posted 206.

In reply Horsford were always in the game and with only two overs left it was anybody game but when the ninth wicket fell to Neil Muirhead on 201 it really was nip and tuck.

The two Horsford batsmen then went for a suicidal single, allowing captain Richard Daniels to run out the youngster for a dramatic four run win.

It has to be said Kirkley were not at their best in bowling or fielding but they still picked up the win.

Alan Boswell man-of-the-match was Kevin Barnard.