FRINTON Cricket Club skipper Kyran Young praised his top-order batsmen for “taking ownership” in Saturday’s 44-run success at home to Cambridge Granta.

Young himself (66), Tom Sinclair (54), Michael Griggs (53) and Mervyn Westfield (52) all made significant contributions in the key Gibbs Denley East Anglian Premier League contest at Ashlyns Road.

With Miguel Machado chipping in with 37, it allowed Frinton to post a total of 289 for six after 64 overs.

Granta were then polished off for 245, with Westfield taking four wickets and Young and Dan Carter three.

“It was a fantastic and significant win, especially in the context of the table,” said captain Young, whose side remain fourth in the Premier League.

“It keeps us in the hunt, especially with (second-placed) Sudbury losing at (leaders) Mildenhall and Swardeston (in third) going down at Great Witchingham.

“Granta are a good, well-balanced side in terms of their batting and bowling quality and they’ve got a really top player in Michael Pepper (who made 93).

“They’re never easy to beat and obviously we were disappointed to lose the toss.

“But credit to our opening batsmen because the top four all made half-centuries.

“While it was a shame none could go on and build a really big score, they played some fantastic cricket and gave us a strong platform.

“We’ve spoken about the importance of taking ownership at the top of the order, to make sure we don’t lose wickets in clusters.

“It’s about standing up and taking responsibility and, thankfully, everyone applied themselves well and helped laid the foundations for our victory.”

Westfield’s bowling figures were four for 80 in 13 overs, while Young returned three for 49 in 11 overs and Carter three for 72 in 16.4 overs.

The latter also claimed the key wicket of Granta opener Pepper.

Frinton now switch their attention to Saturday’s trip to Norwich, which is followed by another away game, at Bury, on June 30.

Bury are currently bottom and Norwich third from bottom.

“After three weeks of playing top sides, our next two games are against two of the lower sides,” added Young.

“We’re very happy with the position we’re in and hopefully we can get the points we need from these matches, to ensure we reach the halfway point of the season in an even stronger one.

“They represent a different challenge and there are no easy games in this division, but obviously we hope our current run gives us some kind of advantage.

“We’ll go into the games with lots of confidence but won’t rest on our laurels or be complacent in any way.

“We’re nicely placed but will try and learn from our mistakes and build on the positives in the second half of the season.”