SUFFOLK fought back after being forced to play second fiddle to Cambridgeshire for much of the opening day of their Minor Counties Championship match at Bury St Edmunds yesterday.

After losing the toss and being asked to bat the home team were bowled out for 139 in 60.4 overs, but by the close of play had restricted Cambridgeshire to 147 for seven in reply at the Victory Ground.

Cambridgeshire’s opening bowlers made the most of the cloudy conditions, with the experienced Ajaz Akhtar removing Suffolk openers Tom Huggins and Ben France with the second and fifth balls of the opening over, both for no score.

Suffolk struggled to recover, subsiding at one stage to 46 for seven, before Danish international Freddie Klokker dug in.

Klokker scored 62 not out, with his innings spanning 190 minutes and 143 balls with six fours, and featured in three significant stands as the conditions eased for the batsmen.

James Finch, the former Yorkshire 2nd XI off spinner making his home Minor Counties Championship debut, added 45 for the eighth wicket in 129 balls.

Mark Nunn, who rejoined Bury St Edmunds this season and is making his Suffolk debut in this match after playing for Cambridgeshire last year, then put on 22 with Klokker for the ninth wicket.

And ex-Exning all-rounder Chris Lomas, also making his Championship bow on what is now his home ground, added 26 at a run a minute as Suffolk reached some semblance of respectability.

After Tony Palladino, who has been released by Essex to play in this match for Suffolk, had Alan Burton caught at the wicket – the first of four such dismissals he claimed with the assistance of wicket-keeper Chris Warn – the visitors added 59 for the second wicket.

At 85 for two they were in danger of taking the game away from Suffolk until Martyn Cull dived forward to take a tumbling catch at mid-off to remove Matt Pateman.

As the late afternoon shadows started to lengthen Suffolk fought back, Finch claiming two wickets, the second caught at wide mid-on by Ben France to account for former Yorkshire opener Simon Kellett.

Coupled with Palladino’s second spell of 3-0-7-2 Suffolk hauled themselves right back into the match as the visitors led by eight runs with three first-innings wickets intact at stumps.