TWO teams with historically fragile batting dodged the showers and the one with the stronger bowling emerged victorious as Dunmow secured an 80-run victory at Ipswich and East Suffolk.

On a day when only six games in all 11 divisions of the Marshall Hatchick Two Counties Championship were played to a finish, Dunmow took advantage to claim 20 division two points.

Losing the toss looked like a crucial part of the game, especially as both openers, Nav Ali and Luke Swanston were back in the pavilion with the score only on seven.

Batsmen found it hard to adjust to the slow pace of the Chantry Park pitch and Ipswich's opening bowler, Joe Lander, ran through the top six, with Joe Gallant the only Dunmow batsman to make double figures with 25.

However, James Reid, playing his first game for the firsts for four years, took the fight back to the hosts and built partnerships of 19 with Matt Gibson and 46 with Jake Thompson before he was last man out for 49.

It gave Dunmow a defendable total of 120 and their position was helped by early wickets for Matt Gibson and Baz Sewell, who claimed wickets with a relentlessly tight line and length.

Wickets fell in the fourth, sixth, tenth and 12th overs to leave Ipswich and East Suffolk reeling at 21 for five.

The heavens then opened and Dunmow feared they would not be able to complete the job, however, huge credit should go to the umpires and the hosts, who did everything they could to get the game completed.

Immediately upon the resumption, wickets continued to fall with such regularity that when Sewell claimed his sixth wicket in the 22nd over, Ipswich and East Suffolk were all out for 40.

Sewell finished with figures of six for 25, while Gibson took four for 14 at the other end.

Dunmow seconds were frustrated in their efforts to go top of division nine south, with rain interrupting and eventually forcing the cancellation of their home game against West Mersea seconds, with the visitors struggling at 37 for five.

On Saturday, the firsts travel to division two leaders Maldon, while the seconds host Maldon fourths.