Bury St Edmunds Cricket Club secure South African wicketkeeper Chris Benjamin as top run scorer also commits

Bury St Edmunds CC have announced the signing of young South African wicketkeeper Chris Benjamin, alongside the retention of last season’s top run scorer Justin Broad.

Benjamin, 20, is part of the Durham MCCU set-up – one of six MCC University teams ranked as a first-class side – and played for Read Brothers Ltd East Anglian Premier League (EAPL) divisional rivals Cambridge in 2018, having moved from Titans Academy in Victoria, before representing Essex II and Durham MCCU last year.

Bury announced the signing on Twitter: “We are pleased to welcome (the) young South African Chris Benjamin to the WolfPack for the 2020 season.”

He will join 19-year-old right-handed top order batsman Broad, who also hails from South Africa, who will be looking to build on his 936-run total last term for the EAPL side.

Ben Seabrook will captain the first-team, taking over from Sean Park who is regularly unavailable for the first half of the season due to job commitments.

Meanwhile Tom Curran will captain the seconds – who compete in Division Two of the Marshall Hatchick Two Counties Championship, while Kirk Bonas is captain of the thirds (Division Seven) and Simon Aldous BSE IV (Division Nine, Group 2).

* Meanwhile Mildenhall Cricket Club have continued their squad building for the 2020 EAPL campaign with the signing of Dom Palmer.

The left-handed opening batsman has arrived at Wamil Way from neighbouring Lakenheath, where he has spent the previous five years.

Despite a disappointing 2019 season ending in relegation from the Marshall Hatchick Two Counties Championship Division One for Lakenheath, Palmer still scored 543 runs with the bat at an average of 36.20.

Ollie Lovejoy will skipper the first team this year. The wicketkeeper, who moved from Colchester and East Essex CC last year, will be hoping to lead Mildenhall to a stronger finish than 2019’s 10th (of 12) place.