ESSEX leg spinner Tom Craddock will make his debut for Suffolk in their Minor Counties Championship match against Cambridgeshire, starting on Sunday.

Craddock, who joined the Essex staff last season following a two-month trial after impressing against the county while playing for the Unicorns in the Clydesdale Bank 40 competition, comes into the side for the three-day fixture at Wisbech, start 11am each day.

The 23-year-old effectively replaces off spinner Chris Swallow, who along with Simon Rees is unavailable for Suffolk’s fourth Eastern Division match of the season.

Skipper Justin Bishop said: “Tom playing came about through his Essex team-mate Michael Comber, who suggested he might be keen to play for us as Essex 2nd XI have not got many games at the moment.

“We approached (Essex head coach) Paul Grayson, who is very helpful towards us, and he okayed it, so we are very grateful that Tom can play.

“He wants to bowl some overs and it is usually a good track at Wisbech and turns a bit, so he should be able to get some bowling under his belt. We have got Tom Huggins to bowl off spin and we have also got options with the seamers.”

Bishop admitted it had been a “very frustrating” season so far, with all three of Suffolk’s rain-affected matches ending in draws.

“No disrespect to Bedfordshire, but I think we would have beaten them comfortably in three days, and then in our last match at Hertfordshire we had them 85 for four on the first day.

“We then lost one-and-a-half days to the weather, and because we were desperate for a win we tried to go for it, but they were never going to be generous in setting up a run chase after we won the toss and put them into bat.

“It was always unlikely that we would chase down 301 in 71 overs, but it was our only chance of winning the game,” added Bishop, whose side ended on 185 for eight.

With eight of the ten Eastern Division sides having completed three fixtures Suffolk currently occupy fourth place, just nine points behind leaders Staffordshire and so retain a chance of lifting the title.

Suffolk: T Huggins, B France, M Cull, H Adnan, S Ward, C Warn (wkt), J Bishop (capt), M Comber, T Craddock, T Rash, M Hunn.