ELY’S top order were firing on all cylinders as they made light work of a talented Bluntisham side on Saturday.

Chasing an imposing 206 runs for victory, Ely batted superbly in their pursuit and had top order trio Andy Buck, Thomas Beaumont and Jonathan Woods to thank for keeping up with the run-rate and setting the platform for an excellent win away from home.

Ely’s second win in the early stages of the new season saw them catapulted straight to the top of the league, setting the pace with a haul of 40 points, though Burwell sit second on level points.

Required to bowl first at Bluntisham’s Recreation Ground, Ely’s Duncan Fraser enjoyed an early breakthrough, dismissing Zunair Shahid for just two runs.

Subsequent wickets were difficult to come by however, as the good overhead conditions and flat track made for an excellent batting surface.

Bluntisham’s Darren Fordham (72) and Graham Parks (39) played superbly to put the home side in a strong position before a late flurry for Ely checked the home side’s momentum.

Stephen Case-Upton bowled tirelessly to take 2-40 from his eight overs, while Andrew Zajac picked up 1-68 from 11 punishing overs. Fraser’s 2-23 from 12 overs were by far the figures of the afternoon, however, as the Bluntisham posted 208-6.

Requiring in excess of 4.5 runs-per-over to stand a chance of success, Ely openers Andy Buck (34) and Thomas Beaumont (34) batted well to pile on some quick runs while taking the gloss off the new ball.

Number three Jonathan Woods was the star of the show however, as he struck an undefeated 59 to push the innings on in the middle overs.

Parks (2-43) and Russell Denton (3-31) managed to nip out a series of quick wickets to raise hopes of victory but a timely knock of 28 from bowler Zajac and 19 from pace partner Fraser helped seal the win for the visitors.