Suffolk batsman Jaik Mickleburgh has underlined how important it is to ‘cash in’ when the opportunity arises ahead of this weekend’s derby clash with Norfolk, writes Nick Garnham.

Mickleburgh displayed the form that saw him win the Wilfred Rhodes Trophy last season in Suffolk’s Unicorns Championship victory over Bedfordshire at Bury St Edmunds.

The former Essex batsman won the accolade awarded to the batsman with the highest average in the Minor Counties Championship.

His 815 runs at an average of 116.43 saw him claim the award in his first season, after joining Suffolk prior to the start of the 2017 campaign.

But work commitments at Brentwood School meant that Mickleburgh missed Suffolk’s opening three-day match of this summer that ended in a 185-run loss away to Staffordshire.

And he missed out in the first innings against Bedfordshire, being dismissed for 20 uncharacteristically caught down the leg side hooking.

However, he more than made up for that with an undefeated 173 from 220 deliveries in Suffolk’s second innings, which laid the foundations for an eventual 163-run success.

The 28-year-old said: “A few of us would put our hands up as and say we all had good opportunities to go on and get big scores, so I was one of the whole team not to get a hundred in the first innings.

“It is nice obviously to get a second chance in these games and pile on the runs.

“If you got in and gave yourself a chance you could score pretty freely out there. The outfield was very quick and you have to cash in when you get those opportunities.

“There are going to be times when you nick off for nought when you get a good ball.

“It was a perfect opportunity to go in and bat long. There was no pressure to score quickly as we had plenty of time in the game, so it was about setting your stall out and batting for a long time.”

Victory over Bedfordshire earned Suffolk 23 points and has lifted the county to fifth spot in the Eastern Division table.

They are in three-day action against Mickleburgh’s former county Norfolk in the Unicorns Championship at Copdock, starting this Sunday, July 22.