CAPTAIN Lloyd Belcher is confident Horspath can mount a promotion challenge in Home Counties Premier League Division 2 this season.
Having taken over at the helm for a 2020 campaign truncated by the coronavirus pandemic, the 21-year-old left-arm spinner will be leading the team in a full season for the first time.
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| Lloyd Belcher |
Lloyd says: "I feel for us having been in the top league for three years my aim and everyone's aim is to be playing at the highest level of cricket we can. I am very confident with the team we have got and the depth we have got to the squad with 18 to 20 people competing for places. We have a lot of people available this week who have played in the ones. We have a great balance and players are hitting their strides at the right time going into the season.
"I understand there are a lot of fresh faces in the league and it will be a tough division. A lot of people have also dropped down and there are new signings looking at the different teamsheets - a lot of people we have played against in the top division. It is looking a lot stronger than in previous years, but from ball one on day one the aim is to get promoted and get back to where we belong."
The Horspath skipper's hopes have been boosted by the arrival of overseas star Anupam Sanklecha and batsman Elliot Ruff together with the return of all-rounder Patrick Foster.
"I am very positive about the team we have got on paper," adds Lloyd. "We have got a great mix of all-rounders. We have started the season off well with the bat and, with the bowling, adding Anupam is a massive weapon to our arsenal.
"Elliot has shown up well. He looks a very confident, technical player and is a great addition to the squad. We are hoping to see a lot from him, and it's great to have Pat back having not seen him for a few years. He is always a great asset to the team whether it is on or off the pitch."
Sulaiman Hussain, who was at Horspath last season having played for Leamington in the Birmingham & District Premier League, has already impressed with his clean striking of a cricket ball. "Sulai played a bit last year mainly in the twos," says Lloyd. "He adds a new dimension to the team with his aggression. I have known him since I was eight-years-old and he has won a lot of games he has been involved in."
Teenager off-spinner Luke Heritage is another who been quick to make an impact this season, and Lloyd says: "He has come on leaps and bounds from last year and previous years. He has already shown he can perform at a high level. I am looking forward to bowling with him this season."
Brothers Alfie and Charlie Turner are two more of Horspath's promising youngsters, although their cricketing commitments with St Edward's School mean they are likely to be involved more later in the season. "Alfie and Charlie have all the talent in the world," adds Lloyd. "For us it a shame they will be playing for Teddies, but when they are back they will be competing for places."
Lloyd was the top flight's leading wicket-taker in 2019 with 41 victims, and he adds: "I feel quite confident I can have a good season, but as every captain says it is more about the team."
With the two divisions pooled in 2020, Horspath were denied the chance to try and bounce straight back to the top flight after dropping down the previous year. But even so Lloyd feels the team and himself derived great benefit from the matches they were able to play - something that was mirrored in the results as the side reached the semi-finals of both the John Goodman Plate and the Bernard Tollett Oxfordshire Cup.
"It was a useful season," reflects Lloyd. "We made good use of it in not a great situation. I took a lot from it. There was a lot less pressure on me to captain for the first year. I feel more experienced now having had a season's captaincy.
"A lot of the plans I made last year have carried on this year. There are a few new faces and I have got to figure out the best 11 going forward. We want to play a stress-free kind of cricket and a brand of cricket where we are playing with flair and enjoying it. With the ethos of the team and the direction we want to go in we have just carried it over from last year. We have played positively and mainly got the results we wanted so far."
Horspath are also at home on Sunday when they face Eynsham in the Voneus Village Cup second round. "It is a competition which means a lot to this club," adds Lloyd. "We will put a lot of priority on that as well - whether it is the league, the Village Knockout or the Oxfordshire Twenty20."
Meanwhile - weather permitting - Horspath 2nd visit Oxford Downs 2nd in Cherwell League Division 2 tomorrow. Horspath 3rd host Oxenford 2nd in Division 4A, while Horspath 4th are away to Oxenford 2nd at Jesus College in Division 6B.
Posted by: Russ