Fakenham’s busy weekend of cricket produced two contrasting results, with an impressive win in the league followed by a comprehensive defeat in the quarter-finals of the Carter Cup.

With Sri Lanka professional Chathura Peiris finally finally on board Fakenham moved off the bottom of the Norfolk Alliance Premier Division when they won by 124 runs runs at Acle, after dismissing their hosts for just 62 (see report inside).

But it was totally different story the following day when they came up against holders Swardeston in the county’s top knock-out competition and were soundly beaten by a far stronger side.

Swardeston ended up winning by 257 runs after reaching 409-5 in their 60 overs.

Stephen Gray was the destroyer-in-chief for the East Anglian Premier League side, plundering 174 (15 fours and five sixes) to complete a superb run of scoring in three different forms of the game.

He made 54 on Friday as Swardeston beat Great Witchingham by 39 runs in the National Twenty20 competition and followed that up with 84 against the same opposition in the EAPL before really opening up in the Carter Cup.

Jason Reynolds was out for 99 as Swardeston piled up the runs, with Steve Earl going for nearly 10 an over as he took three wickets and David Coyle proving the most economical bowler for the visitors with figures of 12-0-57-0.

Fakenham never had a realistic chance of chasing down such a huge total against a quality bowling attack and were dismissed for 152 in the 35th over, with Dale Reynolds taking 4-22.

Will Dunger top scored with 50 in 40 balls (eight fours and two sixes) while opener Keegan Monahan-Fairlie hit five boundaries in his 35.

There were runs galore in the quarter-finals - with the three East Anglian Premier League survivors scoring over 1,200 between them.

The highest scorers were Norwich, who made a whopping 424-6 in their 60 overs against Sprowston who were bowled out for 101, Great Witchingham beat Downham by 104 runs after reaching 376-6 while in the tie between two Norfolk Alliance sides Old Buckenham squeezed home by two wickets after dismissing Acle for 194,