It was a tough day for Saffron Walden's first team as they fell to a heavy defeat in the East Anglian Premier League.

They went down by 10 wickets at Mildenhall as their Suffolk hosts gave a textbook example of bowling.

Putting Walden into bat, they ripped through the visitor's line-up, leaving them all out for 83.

Opening pace bowlers, Jack Loveday and Tristan Blackledge, also had accuracy with the latter taking three scalps in the his first three overs, conceding just four runs in the process.

IPL pro, KC Cariappa, took 4-13 and although tailenders Oliver Rae and Josh O’Connor managed to put on 20 runs, with Rae hitting 14 from 16 balls, it only delayed the inevitable for a while longer.

And Mildenhall's openers, Jack Potticary (30) and Matt Allen (56) were able to knock off the required runs in 12 overs with Allen hitting six sixes.

“It was a tough day,” said Walden captain, Josh Down, “but huge credit to Mildenhall, they bowled exceptionally, and we didn’t have answers.

"We were simply outplayed from start to finish."

There was a defeat too for the second team, beaten by 33 runs at home to Burwell & Exning, although this one brought plenty of promise from a young team.

Put in to bat first, Burwell got off to an excellent start putting on 73 runs before the first wicket was taken by Neil Henderson (2-52) and were 112-2 when captain Paul Summerskill came to the crease.

Summerskill batted to his usual high standard making 77 from 76 balls and being the last wicket to fall before the overs were met.

Burwell’s tally of 282 looked challenging, and they lost both openers quickly, but that's when Walden’s teenagers stepped up to the plate.

In particular, Keelan Mendel’s 70 runs from 66 balls was class in action and there were good contributions from Sam Osborne (32), Jonny Rumsby (41), Johnny Wiseman (28) and Adam Whitehead (34).

The defeat could have been avoided had it not been for 48 extras given away but there were still positives to take.

Skipper Mihir Chandraker said: “We will need to improve our work with the ball going forward but great efforts were made in the chase by the teenage spine of Mendel, Rumsby and Osborne."

Saffron Walden Reporter: The fourth team at Saffron Walden Cricket Club. Picture: LORRAINE CHITSONThe fourth team at Saffron Walden Cricket Club. Picture: LORRAINE CHITSON (Image: Lorraine Chitson)

There were the opening games for the third and fourth teams, with both teams fielding at least nine junior players.

The threes, made up mostly of U15s and U16s, were beaten by two wickets against Audley End & Littlebury, 13-year-old Harry Silverwood top scoring with 35 while there was 4-25 from Jonathan Brace.

Brace had also helped put on 51 for the first wicket alongside Hywel Bowen while Jay Reader and Jon Buck put on 29 for the last wicket.

However, the visitors got home with two overs to spare.

The fourths, comprised predominantly of U14s, completed the set of losses, going down by just one wicket to Thriplow.

They made 128 batting first, Nick Hoyle scoring 31, and there were three wickets each for James Razzell and Jed Bailey, the latter taking 3-5 in eight overs.

That got them close before Thriplow edged over the mark in the penultimate over.

High Roding's first team had their game called off while the seconds and thirds both lost.

The twos were put into bat against Purleigh and were all out for 70, Freddie Knightley and Henry Welland the only ones to reach double figures.

Roding did bowl and field well, Joe Murphy claiming 4-16 in nine overs, but Purleigh reached their target for the loss of six wickets.

The thirds team suffered a similar fate in a loss to Bancroft Lion Hawks.

They got to 180-9 in their 40 overs with Tom Shrager scoring 68 but Lion Hawks reached their total with two wickets to spare.

Stanley Bellieu Clark took three wickets and George Welland and Adrian Nelson shared four between them.

Aythorpe Roding`s trip to East Hanningfield & Great Burstead also failed to beat the wet weather.