Saffron Walden held on to record a narrow victory at Copdock & Old Ipswichian in the East Anglian Premier League.
They were asked to bat first and made 233-9 in their 50 overs. Zubayr Hamza held the innings together early on with 55 from 50 balls, smacking 10 fours and one six, but it was Alex Sears with 88 in 85 deliveries that proved the winning knock.
He hit eight fours and four sixes, all of them in the same over and three of them in successive deliveries, but victory was in the balance until the final two overs.
They had needed 24 but only managed two in the penultimate set of six, losing two wickets in the process, and although they managed 12 off the final over, they ended on 224-9, nine runs short.
Joe Everett picked up the best bowling figures with 3-26, while Jack Sneath and Cameron Taylor managed two wickets each.
It leaves them second with three matches to go.
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