Captain's Corner

It is a privilege to have been named first team skipper of my life long club Cogenhoe CC. Growing up playing for this club, initially in the seconds (and Sundays) and progressing into the first team, I could never have imagined having this great honour bestowed upon me, at times I can still be found pinching myself! It is for this reason I intend to get the very most out of this forthcoming season.

Last season saw our first team's long awaited promotion into division seven, many thanks and congratulations to last year's captain, Leigh Woodward, for that feat. This achievement was made despite a horrendous run of bad luck with a number of injuries to key players. Subsequently, I view this coming season with a great deal of optimism. The spirit in the club was sensational last year and all the players were a credit to Cogenhoe CC and with pretty much a full bill of health expected for May, I fully expect the team to be competitive in their new surroundings. In fact being 'competitive' is the least I would expect from this group of talented players. With an excellent blend of youth and experience with both bat and ball, this team has the potential to challenge for the promotional spots.

I look forward to the new season, working closely with the second team skipper Paul Browning to ensure every success that this club deserves. The quality of players and personalities at the club will make this success criterion all the easier to achieve. Good luck to everybody associated with the club for the summer ahead.

After a disappointing yet ultimately relegation free season last year, I look forward to the forthcoming season with optimism and genuine confidence that we can achieve a level of respectability in our division that has not been experienced by this team in recent years. The increased availability of quality cricketers within the club as a whole will undoubtedly filter through to the second team and I am sure we will reap the benefits of this just as much as the firsts.

We must give ourselves every opportunity to achieve the maximum our abilities will permit. By this, I mean that we must continue to sustain the same level of commitment on and off the pitch that has always been a key factor to the way our team have played, certainly since I have been involved with the club. I'm sure that everyone would agree that it is a real pleasure to play in this team win or lose and long may that continue.

I look forward to working with Gareth during the coming season to ensure that this club achieves all it sets out to. If our players apply and conduct themselves as well as they always have, I feel positive that we can earn the success we all so richly deserve.