TOM Huggins has hailed the county’s Young Guns ahead of Suffolk’s Minor Counties Championship match against Norfolk.

Suffolk head to Horsford’s Manor Park tomorrow, start 11am, for their penultimate three-day fixture with three of the youngsters who have broken into the side this season - Scott Harvey, Archie Gravell and Matt Hunn - in their 12-man squad.

All-rounder Huggins, who coaches the county’s Development XI, which is basically an under-19 side, has seen five of those youngsters given their full county debuts in the past year, four of them this season.

Former Northamptonshire batsman Huggins said: “They are all good players in their own right and would not be playing if they weren’t. It is really promising for the future of Suffolk cricket.

“They have all done well in the Development XI and age group cricket in previous years, and it is great to see Suffolk lads playing for the full Suffolk side.

“You are always going to need experienced players to play alongside them. They can learn so much by not only talking to us but also by watching us, especially in the case of Hassan Adnan in the last game, who showed how to build an innings and go on to make a big score.”

Huggins said Matt Hunn and Archie Gravell, two of the youngsters in tomorrow’s squad, had produced impressive displays in Development XI matches this season as well as Ashwin Raj, a left-handed batsman.

Suffolk currently sit second in the Eastern Division table - just four points adrift of leaders Cambridgeshire and one ahead of Staffordshire - with two matches each to play.

Huggins continued: “Norfolk will be up for it, but we back ourselves against whoever we play and are in confident mood going into the game.

“We are right up there with two games to go, and will try to play the same way in our final two games as we have done in the previous four.”

After drawing each of their opening two matches, Suffolk have produced impressive victories at home to Buckinghamshire and away to Northumberland, when Adnan set a new individual highest score for the county of 236 not out to break the 100-year-old record.

Suffolk (from): T Huggins, H Adnan, M Cull, B France, J Bishop, C Warn, A Gravell, J Finch, T Rash, P Edwards, M Hunn, S Harvey.

Minor Counties Championship

Eastern Division

P W D L Bt Bw Pts

**Cambs 4 3 0 1 6 13 65

Suffolk 4 2 2 0 8 13 61

Staffordshire 4 2 1 1 8 16 60

**Herts 4 2 0 2 7 16 53

Cumberland 4 1 3 0 14 10 52

Lincolnshire 4 1 1 2 7 16 43

N’thumberland 4 1 1 2 7 16 43

Norfolk 4 1 2 1 3 15 42

Bucks 4 1 1 2 5 14 39

Bedfordshire 4 0 1 3 6 16 26

*Indicates 12 points for a win in a 1 innings match

+Indicates 4 points for a loss in a 1 innings match

**Indicates 2 points deducted for slow over rate