After the previous week's minor blips, this weekend saw the club back on track with both the Saturday and Sunday first teams winning comfortably and the seconds nearly winning in a high-scoring match, and proving they do have the quality needed to go back up.

The weekend actually started with a narrow defeat, the ladies losing in the last over to Colchester in their first fixture of the new 20/20 Friday night league, a few too many wides in the last couple of overs ending their hopes of a winning start.

On Saturday our first team travelled to Coggeshall, who usually produce the hardest and flattest wickets in the league, and on a baking hot day it was good to know Steve Witham won the toss.

Batting first Sudbury never looked in trouble. Pete Siegert was his usual stubborn self, tiring the opening bowlers on his way to a gentle 30 and putting on a nice partnership with Jon Kent (122).

Alistair Younger, coaxed from retirement due to a late call off, looked dominant on his way to a well-struck 40 as Kent too began to unleash some big drives, notably off Coggeshall's Will Blackwell, one of the best spin bowlers in the Two Counties.

The middle order did a good job of backing up Kent. The only disappointment of the innings was veteran Andy Simmons being carried off with a torn calf muscle.

In reply Coggeshall were instantly pinned back by the returning Rupert Melville-Ross, whose textbook action allows him the luxury of consistent line and length. Melly tore through the Coggeshall top order and at 50-4 he had sealed the victory in quick time, Kent ably backing him up with some telling corridor bowling.

In the heat Witham turned to the spin of Mathew Wooderson and Ben Reece, who showed his all-round capabilities, changing on demand from seam to left-arm off-spin, the pair both picking up a couple of wickets.

The second team played Ipswich side St Margarets and nearly won a thrilling batting game. Unfortunately Sudbury lost the toss, crucial on a good pitch and hot day.

They started well, Charles Thomas taking a wicket in the third over. St Margarets then put on a 130-run partnership and sapped the strength of the Sudbury attack, until Charlie Phillips was brought to the fore and his heavy deliveries made inroads into the middle order, picking up a well deserved four wickets and preventing what could have been a very high total.

Guy Robins was unlucky to have some lbw shouts turned down and showed the difficulty faced in moving from division 3 to division 4 where umpires are no longer appointed – it means the team will have to work doubly hard to ensure promotion. St Margarets bludgeoned their way to 247 and the chase was on.

In reply Sudbury lost a crucial early wicket – I was miraculously caught and bowled millimetres off the floor to a shot that had most people looking to the boundary.