BUNGAY suffered their first league defeat of 2008 in a last-over thriller at Hethersett and Tas Valley on Saturday. It was a cruel blow to a young Bungay side that had twice fought their way back into the game.

BUNGAY suffered their first league defeat of 2008 in a last-over thriller at Hethersett and Tas Valley on Saturday.

It was a cruel blow to a young Bungay side that had twice fought their way back into the game.

Some excellent fielding by the home side culminated in the worst possible start for Bungay as M Watts was run out in the second over. Young C Fuller was joined by W Lewis and the pair began to rebuild. The pair added 38 runs before Lewis was caught off the bowling of M Steward.

T York joined Fuller and rode their luck early on to build a solid platform taking the score to 102 from 25 overs.

York began to find his rhythm and played some big shots as he brought up his first 50 of the season. It was the introduction of A Abbas into the bowling attack that swung the game towards the home side as he first removed C Fuller caught on the boundary for 37 and then two overs later dismissed captain D Fuller the same way to leave the visitors 110 for four from 27 overs.

York was caught quickly afterwards and as S Davey and T Chang tried to swing the balance back in Bungay's favour, they too were dismissed in quick succession to leave the visitors on 167-7 with four overs remaining.

D Davis was bowled off the final ball of the innings for eight and Bungay closed on 181 for eight.

In reply, some wayward bowling enabled Richard Ellis and C Puttock to get off to a good start.

T York bowled Puttock for seven bringing Matt Ellis to the crease. The Ellis brothers looked in fine touch as they took the attack to the Bungay bowlers and at the first drinks break Hethersett were 55-1 from 15 overs.

The pair took the score up to 74 before David Fuller made the decisive breakthrough, bowling Richard Ellis for 44. But with Matt Ellis and Simon Redhead at the crease the home side were always in control.

However, Bungay started to wrestle back control as first Redhead was superbly caught by David Fuller and Chris Fuller removed N Burrett, J Curtis and D Cosford to leave Hethersett 102-6. The tie then swung back Hethersett's way as Lee King joined his captain and added 68 for the seventh wicket. W Lewis removed King for 33 and then D Fuller bowled M Steward and had P Walmsley caught at mid-on in his final over to leave the score evenly poised at 179 for nine going into the last over.

The class of the home side's captain shone through, finding the gap to strike the first ball for four to win.