East Anglian Premier cricket leagueBURY St Edmunds led the Gibbs Denley East Anglian Premier League by 23 points at the halfway stage of the season after their victory over bottom-of-the-table Mildenhall.

East Anglian Premier cricket league

BURY St Edmunds led the Gibbs Denley East Anglian Premier League by 23 points at the halfway stage of the season after their victory over bottom-of-the-table Mildenhall.

Faced with a bowling attack as strong as Bury's, the home team were certainly not disgraced in scoring 221 for eight wickets at Wamil Way.

In Andrew Tweedie, who opens the bowling with Lance Klusener for Natal in his native South Africa, Essex's Tony Palladino, and Suffolk's opening bowlers Andrew McGarry and Justin Bishop, Bury have an attack good enough to trouble any batting line-up.

And with Essex 2nd XI coach and spin bowler Paul Grayson waiting in the wings, Bury have rightly been made favourites to retain the title they won for the first time last year.

Frantzwa Bester scored 54 for Mildenhall, but the total of 211 was never really going to be enough with Suffolk opener Tom Huggins and Bishop getting the visitors off to a good start with a stand of 147.

Once Huggins departed for 77, Bishop (89 not out) saw his side home aided by a cameo from Craig Estlea who struck eight fours in his unbeaten 33 off 30 balls.

Bury skipper Kevin Brooks said: “With six wins and one defeat we could not have asked for a better first half of the season.

“Tom Huggins has been seeking a little bit of form and with the hard wickets now with us hopefully his score will kick-start his season.