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AMIT Gupta will be hoping to make up for lost time when he turns out for Halstead against Copdock and Old Ipswichians at Old London Road tomorrow.

The new 23-year-old Indian overseas all-rounder and Halstead player-coach was smashed for 64 runs in 12 overs in last week's 120-run home defeat to Mildenhall.

And to make matters worse, the medium-fast bowler and Delhi-based batsman also marked his Two Counties Championship debut with a duck after being run-out without scoring.

Gupta already has experience of playing in England.

He was Littlehampton's highest individual scorer playing in the Sussex League last summer.

He has more recently been playing in the Delhi District Cricket Association - the top Delhi cricket league - and has already scored 454 runs in nine matches.

"Gupta bats and bowls and he's a big plus for Halstead cricket," said club captain Matt Spatcher.

"I posted an advert on a website because I know a lot of players around the world take a look at it.

"We had around 15 to 16 replies from all over the world, but Amit was the first one to e-mail his interest."

Gupta, who will also coach Halstead's colts, was recruited after responding to Spatcher's advertisement for new players on an Australian website.

Halstead were keen to recruit an overseas player as they have been without one since the departure of prolific Australian run-scorer Michael Cosentino at the end of the 2006 season.

Gupta was the first to reply and was eventually signed by Halstead's new director of coaching Mark Surridge, following a tour of India with Ipswich Greyhounds in February.

Coggeshall, runners-up and the highest placed Essex team in the championship last year, will be hoping to get their season under way with a home game against reigning Two Counties champions Sudbury.

Coggeshall's scheduled start at newly promoted Abberton was cancelled last week because the host's Fingeringhoe Road ground was unfit.

But Seedgrowers skipper Jimmy Rees is anticipating better luck this weekend.

"We want to get out there and play," he said. "Especially as Sudbury were hammered in their opening match by Copdock and Old Ipswichians.

"We've got a couple of guys missing tomorrow, but we'll still have a very strong team out.

"Swing bowler Craig Lesiak will be back; second team batsman Adam Robinson will get a chance and Ollie Blackwell's football commitments with Maldon have also finished for another season.

"Sudbury will present a formidable opposition and if we can get South African all-rounder John Kent out early we will stand a very good chance of winning.

"Kent finished top of the Two Counties batting and bowling averages last season, so we know just how big a player he is for them."

Coggeshall, however, have been hit by the departure of Chris Barton, who only returned to the club last week.

"Barton decided in the end that his future laid elsewhere and moved on to Halstead (where he was bowled out for duck in last week's defeat to Mildenhall) only days after we announced he had returned to us," said Rees.

8:23am Friday 9th May 2008

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