SUFFOLK will start day two of their Minor Counties Championship match against Buckinghamshire at Ipswich School in a strong position.A solid batting display by their batsmen between the showers that saw at least 34 overs play lost ensured Suffolk secured maximum batting points before declaring on 325 for five and they then reduced the visitors to 10 for one in their first innings reply.

Nick Garnham

By Nick Garnham

SUFFOLK will start day two of their Minor Counties Championship match against Buckinghamshire at Ipswich School in a strong position.

A solid batting display by their batsmen between the showers that saw at least 34 overs play lost ensured Suffolk secured maximum batting points before declaring on 325 for five and they then reduced the visitors to 10 for one in their first innings reply.

Skipper Phil Caley played a typical cameo innings of 34 off just 29 deliveries as he sought to hasten the declaration before perishing, leaving him still 16 runs adrift of becoming Suffolk's all-time leading run-scorer in the competition.

After Caley had won the toss openers Tom Huggins and Ben France provided the perfect platform as they compiled a stand of 130 before France, whose 47 occupied 92 balls, was adjudged leg before in the penultimate over before lunch.

Martyn Cull, who on Saturday scored 181 for Clacton in the Gibbs Denley East Anglian Premier League, had the misfortune to be dismissed for a 19-ball duck made over three hours and 10 minutes as showers forced the players from the field of play three times in the post-lunch session.

Huggins, who had been in imperious form, fell 11 runs later after scoring 12 fours from 140 balls faced when he appeared poised to reach three figures against the same opposition he took for 139 last August.

Hassan Adnan and Chris Warn kept the scoreboard ticking along until Warn's attempted drive was held at mid off and a fourth rain interruption threatened to end the day's play early, but it resumed before 7pm, allowing an extra hour to be claimed.

Caley, who cracked five boundaries, looked on course to surpass fellow former Ipswich School pupil Simon Clements' county aggregate tally of 9,219 runs before he was deceived by Simon Stanway's slower ball and then Chris Swallow similarly put bat to ball to good effect with 18 from 16 deliveries.

Adnan, cutting powerfully, profited from the quick scoring of his team-mates as the former Derbyshire batsman quietly went about registering his first half century for the county and ended undefeated on 72, which contained nine fours off 87 balls faced, when the declaration came.

That left Suffolk five overs at the Bucks openers and Justin Bishop bowled Dominic Tuohey, who had dropped Adnan off an absolute sitter at mid on when he had made just eight, offering no stroke to complete a good day for the home team.

Suffolk coach Paul Jarvis declared himself satisfied with his side's day's work when he said: “We have stayed positive throughout and showed we wanted to get on the field and get runs on the board.

“We have scored at nearly five an over throughout the innings and have not looked like losing wickets, before sneaking one out ourselves.”

“When the weather is inclement it is easy to lose motivation, but we have made the best of the day.”

Ivry Street scoreboard

Suffolk 4pts, Buckinghamshire 2pts.

SUFFOLK

First innings

T Huggins c Wynd b Stanway 95

B France lbw b Stanway 47

M Cull c Wynd b Stanway 0

H Adnan not out 72

C Warn c Harper b Gandham 38

P Caley b Stanway 34

C Swallow not out 18

Extras 21

Total (for 5 wkts dec, off 70.4 overs) 325

Did not bat: J Bishop, S Rees, P King, A McGarry.

Bowling: Harper 12.4-3-51-0; Stanway 23-7-83-4; Arif 12-1-85-0; Gandham 12-0-54-1; Watson 9-3-35-0; Tuohey 2-0-6-0.

BUCKINGHAMSHIRE

First innings

K Medlycott not out 10

D Tuohey b Bishop 0

S Stanway not out 0

Extras 0

Total (for 1 wkt, off 5 overs) 10

Did not bat yesterday: J Harrison, M Jones, M Watson, H Gandham, S Brandon, A Wynd, G Harper, U Arif.

Bowling: McGarry 2-0-6-0; Bishop 2-2-0-0; Swallow 1-0-4-0.

Fall: 1-6.