Mildenhall captain Tristan Blackledge happy with balance ahead of East Anglian Premier League opener against Sudbury

Captain Tristan Blackledge is happy with the balance that his Mildenhall side possesses heading into the new East Anglian Premier League campaign.

The Wamil Way-based outfit were in title contention for much of the 2024 season before a late drop off in form saw them finish in fifth spot.

However, this time around Blackledge believes that his squad has more strength in depth – both with bat and ball.

“We had a couple of injuries and some players unavailable in the last few weeks and that’s why we fell away,” said the skipper.

“We didn’t play badly and in a couple of the games we were unlucky, but it was just that lack of availability that hurt us.

“We were still pretty pleased with the season though. We learned a lot and that will help us going into this year.

“In terms of the bowling, I think we’ve got the best attack I’ve ever been part of. We’ve got someone that can spin it both ways, off spin, two fast bowlers and guys that are really accurate.

“And with the bat we’ve got players that can bat all day and others that can take the game away from the opposition in half an hour.

“We’re well balanced and it feels like we’ve got players for every situation.

“That will be key for us this season, making sure that we use players at the right time and don’t waste the talent.”

It has been a relatively quiet winter of recruitment for Mildenhall, but there has been one stand-out piece of business with the return of KC Cariappa.

The Indian spinner made a big impression for Mildenhall last year before leaving towards the end of the season to attend Indian Premier League trials.

He finished the season as the league’s leading bowling, snaring a total of 43 wickets at an average of 13.93.

“We’re expecting more big things from KC again this season. We were really keen to bring him back to the club,” said Blackledge.

“He was so good last season. I stood at slip to him and it was only towards the end of the year that I was able pick up his fast ball.

“What sets him apart is his accuracy, control and consistency – not many have that ability.

“With leg spinners most of the time you know they’re capable of getting you out, but you feel like you can score runs off them – KC doesn’t give you that chance.

“We’re delighted that he has decided to come back again.”

Mildenhall have also recruited youngster Ben Cross from Tuddenham.

The all-rounder is likely to start the season in Mildenhall’s second team, but Blackledge is confident that he will eventually feature within his senior side before the campaign is out.

Mildenhall will get the new term under way on Saturday when they welcome Sudbury to Wamil Way (11am).