Second division Brightlingsea's Jaygate Two Counties Championship successes could be counted on two fingers before their latest encounter with Coggeshall.

But the riversiders made up for lost time when recording only their third victory in 16 matches after deservedly beating their mid-Essex rivals by six wickets with just two balls to spare at Regent Road on Sunday.

Chris Brown and skipper Trevor Shales were the Brightlingsea heroes. Brown, superbly backed up by Shales, sparked off the six-wicket rout.

Initially supported by all-rounder Richard Dove, Brown restricted Coggeshall to just 12 runs for the loss of three vital wickets off the opening 11 overs before going on to finish with figures of 4 for 28 in 10.2 overs.

Shales grabbed 3 for 36 and Dove 1 for 26 as Coggeshall were bowled out for 157.

Brown the batsman then took over, hitting a brilliant 65 before he was run out by a direct throw at the stumps opening Brightlingsea's reply.

Dove, who finished with 33 not out, took over Brown's mantle as the pressure began to mount and with 13 runs still required for victory off the final ten deliveries, he lifted a six over the long-on boundary and together with Michael Cross, ten not out, scampered the vital last two runs that counted.

Shales (35 and 3 for 40) and Dove (41) were the coastal club's main contributers in their four-wicket defeat at the hands of third-placed Worlington 24 hours earlier.

Brightlingsea could only muster 155 before Paul Simmons, son of former Colchester United FA Cup hero Dave Simmons - scorer in the epic 3-2 win over Leeds United - hit 55 in promotion-chasing Worlington's 158 for 6 winning total.

Another former professional footballer in form, this time with a cricket ball, was John Peddelty who returned figures of 3 for 2 from 12 overs in Browns eight-wicket division C win over Maldon.

Peddelty made 50 League and cup appearances for Ipswich Town between 1972 and 1977.

Elsewhere, Colchester and East Essex (204 for 6) continued their good form in the first division with a four-wicket win over luckless Witham (203) at Maldon Road with 21 balls remaining.

Opener Tom Rodda was the visitors hero with a a superb 92, including five sixes and nine fours. He was admirably backed up by 48 from John Dye after James Crafford, Andy Kennedy and Tony Gibby had all taken three wickets in Witham's innings.

Braintree's good form continued at the top of the second division where they easily surpassed Lakenheath's 210 target with seven wickets to spare.

Four wickets fell in the 45th over of Lakenheath's innings with three of them - the other was a run-out - falling to Shaun Gould who claimed 5 for 36 from his 15 overs.

Chris Warn, a regular in Halstead's East Anglian League side, and Dave Denny then put on 75 for Braintree's first wicket, Denny falling just one run short of his half-century.

But Warn went on to register 92 not out which included two sixes and 12 fours.

There was no joy for Frinton (187 for 8) against current league leaders Exning (248 for 7), however, despite a valiant knock of 52 by opener Tony Stubbs.

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