Essex’s Ipswich-born Josh Rymell included in Suffolk side for NCCA Championship match in Lincolnshire while Matt Warering also returns

Essex professional player Josh Rymell is included in the Suffolk side for the first time in two years for the Durant NCCA Championship match against Lincolnshire.

Rymell is in a 12-man squad that also features Matt Wareing, who has not played for Suffolk since this time last year, for the three-day Eastern Division One fixture at Sleaford, starting on Sunday (11am).

Ipswich-born top-order bat Rymell scored 139 in the second innings on his debut as Suffolk crushed Cambridgeshire by 329 runs in the opening NCCA Championship match of the 2021 campaign.

The 22-year-old made his Essex first-team debut soon after, but has found his opportunities limited since, playing a total of four first-class, 13 List A and two T20 matches.

Wareing, who played in the opening two Championship matches last season, was ill for the following match at Staffordshire, which Suffolk won, and has not figured so far this season.

The 29-year-old is now playing for Essex side Witham in the East Anglian Premier League, after joining Sudbury from previous club Copdock & Old Ipswichian.

With Jacob Marston back behind the stumps, head coach Andy Northcote and Adam Mansfield drop out along with the unavailable Freddie Heldreich and Alex Cruickshank.

The latter pair both made their Championship debuts in the 51-run loss to Staffordshire in Suffolk’s opening three-day fixture at Bury St Edmunds a fortnight ago.

Tom Harper, who was 12th man for that match, and Arthur Summers, are both in the squad and will make their Championship debuts, if selected.

Northcote said: “Josh Rymell returns to bolster our batting unit; he is a young man but has heaps of playing experience.

“Arthur Summers comes into the three-day squad for the first time. He’s performing well in Division One of the Two Counties Championship, is a current Suffolk Young Cricketer and therefore an exciting prospect.”

Reflecting on the Staffordshire defeat, Northcote said: “We lost the Staffs game on day one, session one where we were slow to start and they capitalised.

“Our seamers tried exceptionally hard but were just ineffective on that Bury surface. To be that poor for the first 75 overs and to then come so close says a lot about our squad; we never, ever give up and were in with a real shout of winning until late batting errors cost us that chance.

“Ultimately, we walked away disappointed but understand that we not far off getting over the line.

“Lincolnshire will present another challenge all together, with a far more venomous attack and steady batting unit. Sleaford is a good venue for a Championship game so it should be a great three days.”

The Lincolnshire side includes Lewis Graham, the son of former Bury St Edmunds and Suffolk all-rounder Ian Graham.

Suffolk squad: Jack Beaumont (capt), Alex Oxley, Josh Rymell, George Rhodes, Ben Claydon, Ben Parker, Josh Cantrell, Jacob Marston (wkt), Tom Harper, Arthur Summers, Daniel Shanks, Matt Wareing.