Hertfordshire remain top of group two in the Unicorns Knockout Trophy despite a five-wicket loss to Suffolk.

After four games, Herts lead Norfolk and Suffolk by a single point, having won three of their games.

They were unable to maintain their perfect record in the competition due to a superb unbeaten 141 from Suffolk’s Simon Guy. The number five hit 14 fours and cleared the rope a further six times in over two hours at the crease.

Guy entered the game with Suffolk on 88-3 in the 18th over. He promptly scored 49 in a fourth wicket stand with Michael Comber (26) and then went even better with a match-winning partnership of 136 runs with Sasha Ward (45).

Tom Rash (3) joined Guy in the middle following Ward’s dismissal, clean bowled by Harpenden’s Will Jones, to get the last 33 runs. Fittingly, it was Suffolk’s talisman who scored the winning runs to cap a superb game.

Guy may have been the star of the show but Herts played their part in an excellent game at Harpenden Common.

Eddie Ballard (47) and Nesan Jayaratnam (52), Hertfordshire’s captain, gave the game a fantastic opening with a 92-run first wicket stand. That partnership was ended when Ballad was trapped LBW.

Gary Brown was a capable replacement, hitting nine boundaries in a 34-ball 47. He made the lion’s share of the runs in a 60-run pairing with Jayaratnam before he picked out James Poulson in the field.

That brought Dan Blacktopp to the middle. A day after scoring 67 not out for Harpenden, the right-hander was unbeaten for 63. He and club team-mate Ben Frazer (32) took Herts past 200 before the latter was caught.

The lower order couldn’t replicate the success or support Blacktopp as four batsmen were dismissed for single figures, which proved to be costly as Guy found his stride early in his match-winning performance.