Excellent Suffolk display to defeat Norfolk

June 5, 2023

SUFFOLK will enter their final NCCA Trophy Group 3 game with their chances of qualifying for this season’s quarter-finals still very much alive.

They turned in an excellent display to defeat Norfolk by 103 runs at Horsford CC on Sunday, and victory over Cambridgeshire at Burwell & Exning CC on Sunday should secure a spot in the last eight.

After winning the toss and electing to bat, Suffolk lost a wicket to the first ball of the innings when Darren Batch dragged on.

After Ben Claydon was bowled by a ball that kept low – an early sign of how difficult it was going to be to score runs – Suffolk were indebted to a 73-run stand between George Rhodes and Alex Oxley.

Their third-wicket alliance, which spanned 16 overs, was only ended by a fine caught and bowled from Ryan Findlay to remove Oxley for 28.

Rhodes went on to make 61 off 90 deliveries before holing out in the deep, and when Andy Hanby bowled skipper Adam Mansfield, Suffolk had slumped to 161 for 8.

Tom Harper was joined by Daniel Shanks and the pair then put on 45 invaluable runs from the last 7.3 overs, Shanks striking three fours and a six in his 28 from 28 balls and Harper 18 off 19.

Claydon (pictured bowling above) then removed four of the top five home team’s batters, including the key wicket of former Copdock & Old Ipswichian team-mate Sam Arthurton, as Norfolk slumped to 61 for 5 in reply. He bowled unchanged to return excellent figures of 10-1-24-4 as Suffolk put the squeeze on Norfolk.

Rhodes chipped in with two wickets while Bury St Edmunds pace bowler Alex Cruickshank took a wicket with just his fourth ball on debut as Norfolk subsided to 103 all out in just 32.5 overs.

Jacob Marston produced an excellent display behind the stumps, claiming one outstanding catch low down to his right off Claydon, plus a stumping and a direct hit run out.

Claydon said afterwards: “It was an all-round good team performance. You know coming in today it is not going to be an easy game as Norfolk are a good side, and especially in home conditions they are difficult to beat, so everybody is chuffed with the way we played and to beat them.”

Scorecard

Tags: , , , ,

Categorised in: