Neale Dakin boosted his East Anglian Premier League run tally to 353 for only twice out in four innings this season at the weekend.

But his team Halstead, who climbed to the top of the league for the first time after drawing with pre-season title favourites Norwich on Saturday, find themselves back down in third position today after coming within two wickets of seeing off Mildenhall on Bank Holiday Monday.

However, skipper Paul Harris's in-form Star Stile squad could find themselves back at the top if the irrepressible Dakin and his team-mates produce the goods at lowly Godmanchester on Saturday.

Dakin launched his new season with 115 and a second-wicket partnership of 250 with Essex new boy Tim Walton, who scored 124, in a crushing 179-run win over Swardeston.

And the dashing right-hander's tally to date includes 49 not out in a ten-wicket win over Cambridge Granta; another 64 and an opening stand of 54 with Harris in the draw with Norwich, followed by a brilliant undefeated 125 that included 18 fours as he carried his bat in Monday's draw with Mildenhall.

His EAPL average currently stands at an incredible 176.5 and his big century against Mildenhall - his second of the season - was all the more impressive because he and his team-mates were asked to bat first on a wicket that clearly offered some assistance to the bowlers.

Nevertheless, openers Dakin and Harris scored freely against some wayward bowling and posted 44 on the board in the first seven overs.

Harris's dismissal for 20 signalled the fall of two more quick wickets and Dakin suddenly found himself playing an anchor role instead of the swashbuckling style with which he had launched the innings.

Wickets continued to fall until Paul Cooper joined Dakin in the middle and together they put on 74 off 17 overs in a flourishing sixth-wicket partnership before Cooper departed for a more than useful 44.

By then Dakin was well past his century and Halstead went on to declare at 259-7.

Strike bowlers Robert Gregg and Simon Harrington then took over with the ball and with seven of the Mildenhall batsmen back in the pavilion with only 196 on the board, a third Halstead victory looked very much on the cards.

Gregg finished with figures of 4-63 while Harrington weighed in with 2-45.

But after Rick Handy had set the visitors on the road with a brisk 55, they had reached 214-8 and a draw at the end of their allotted overs.

Two days earlier Halstead entertained the newly-formed Norwich club at Star Stile where Dakin registered 64 in a 244-8 score as the Essex outfit moved to the top of the table.

Harrington and former skipper Phil Toogood both grabbed three wickets, but in an exciting finale that left Norwich requiring just seven runs for victory from the last three balls and Halstead needing just one wicket, the visitors held out for a draw on 238-9.

Clacton were without a game over the weekend.

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