Sudbury and Mildenhall rack up runs during East Anglian Premier League draw at Friars Street

It was a familiar tale of bat dominating ball at Friars Street on Saturday as Sudbury (255-5) and Mildenhall (357-9) played out a high-scoring Thurlow Nunn East Anglian Premier League draw.

Sudbury, having won the toss and opted to bowl, found early breakthroughs hard to come by.

And despite the early dismissal of Jack Potticary to Freddie Cloud, Mildenhall’s top order stood firm.

James Poulson toiled tirelessly in a 13-over opening spell, but without reward, as Matt Allen (77) and Darren Ironside (78) stitched together a commanding 132-run partnership for the second wicket.

Momentum briefly swung Sudbury’s way when Alex Quin struck twice on either side of lunch. However, the game was turned on its head by Mildenhall’s overseas star KC Cariappa, who unleashed a breath-taking counter-attack.

Cariappa smashed 76 from just 30 balls, reaching his half-century in a mere 20 deliveries and 17 minutes of mayhem.

His fireworks propelled Mildenhall to a formidable 357-9 from their allotted 64 overs, with late wickets from Matt Clark and Paddy Sadler offering some consolation for the hosts.

Faced with a daunting target, Sudbury were 53-2 at tea and never looked likely to chase down the total.

Nevertheless, they batted with maturity and resolve. The division’s leading run scorer Adam Jones (80) and Manelker De Silva (88) led the resistance with composed half-centuries, ensuring Sudbury were never in real danger of defeat.

And although both fell late in the day, Poulson and Bobby East combined effectively to guide the side to maximum batting points and a well-earned draw.

After a sequence of five outings without a victory, fourth-placed Sudbury will aim to get back on the winning trail on Saturday when they travel to lock horns with Swardeston (11am).

The Norfolk-based hosts, who have lost their last three games in a row, sit 10th in the Premier League standings.

Elsewhere, it was a mixed weekend for Sudbury’s other sides. The Second XI suffered a narrow defeat in the final over of their away fixture at Woolpit, while the Third XI endured a tough outing, falling to a heavy loss at West Bergholt.

However, the standout performance once again came from the Ladies’ XI, who continued their remarkable run of form.

With a 10th consecutive victory, they completed a second successive unbeaten league season and now look ahead with confidence to the semi-finals and final of the North Essex Cricket League.