BRAINTREE Cricket Club made the long trek to Lakenheath on Saturday for a top-of-the-table Marshall Hatchick Two Counties Championship fixture.

They welcomed back Warren Celiz, although Will Jackson and Louis Cant were unavailable.

Unfortunately, after being in a position to win with ease, Braintree returned home with just eight bonus points as they came up three runs short of victory.

The hosts won the toss and elected to bat first.

They got off to a steady start as Chris Baugh and Dom Palmer put on an opening stand of 92.

After scoring 36, Palmer was first to lose his wicket as he was beaten all ends up by a delivery from Barry Stephens and clean bowled.

Baugh soon followed as he offered Stephens a catch off the bowling of Dean Bass when on 52.

Stephens and Bass restricted Lakenheath to just 40 off the next ten overs and their skipper Shane Leech - so often a thorn in Braintree’s side - could only score 20 before he drove a Bass delivery straight to Matt Hollingsworth.

Liam Flack was quickly sent back to the pavilion as Stephens trapped him LBW, having scored just two.

Stephens then had Dan Rodic (20) and Paul Pallent (8) caught in the deep by Dan Chalk and Hollingsworth respectively as Lakenheath moved on to 202 for the loss of six wickets off their allotted 45 overs.

Adam Horrex remained undefeated on 52.

In reply, Braintree got off to an excellent start as Chris Leech and Celiz put on 70 runs off the opening 12 overs.

Celiz had played his usual aggressive game but, unfortunately, having scored a run-a-ball 38, he was bowled by Carl Manels.

Leech had moved on to 27 when he suffered some unsporting behaviour from the hands of his opposition namesake, culminating in being run out while backing up.

Dan Chalk sensibly played himself in but, at the other end, Bass (5) and Geoff Eveling (2) both found themselves sent back to the pavilion in quick succession.

Rory Ainsley joined Chalk at the crease and the pair went about rescuing the innings in a steady manner.

However, after pushing the score on to 157, both were caught out off the bowling of Baugh, Chalk having scored an impressive 54 and Ainsley 17.

With the light fading, Garner and Stephens scored runs off almost every ball and pushed Braintree within four runs of their victory target.

However, both suffered the same fate though driving successive deliveries from Baugh to the safe hands of the fielder at mid off for 23 and 19 respectively.

In the gloom, Lakenheath threw pace bowler Rodic back into the attack and he dismantled the stumps of both Hollingsworth and Robbie Spalding without scoring.

From being in a position of requiring those four runs to win off the final nine balls with four wickets in hand, Braintree capitulated and ended up losing.

This coming Saturday Braintree welcome Haverhill to Panfield Lane for yet another second v third encounter.