Cricket season preview - Bexhill

The Polegrove-based outfit is determined to retain its top flight status this time around having been relegated at the first attempt in 2010.

First team manager Hamish Russell said: “Most clubs that come up go straight back down again. We’ve not got a budget to invest in people so we’ve got to rely on the team spirit we’ve got, a couple of new faces and win a few close games that we lost a couple of years ago.”

Bexhill have gained two players and lost two over the winter. Last season’s promotion-winning captain Chris Topp has gone to New Zealand, but Joe Cox has come in and Andrew Harriott has replaced Mark Steketee as overseas player.

“Our bowling line-up is very inexperienced, especially losing Toppy, which is a big blow to us,” continued Russell. “We’ve got to find ways of winning games. Two years ago there were four or five games we were close in and could’ve won, but we didn’t.”

Under new skipper Malcolm Johnson, Bexhill face an exciting start to the season with an opening day trip to Brighton & Hove tomorrow (Saturday) to be followed by successive local derbies against Eastbourne and reigning champions Hastings Priory.

“It all depends on the start that we get,” Russell went on. “If we can start well, I’m reasonably confident we can stay up. It’s a very big jump. You know you’re going to come across two or three good players in Division Two, but in the Premier League there’s no weak links.”

Cox and Harriott are in line to make their Bexhill debuts tomorrow, but Callum Guest is unavailable. The ECB National Club Championship first round tie at home to Tunbridge Wells has been rearranged for Sunday having been rained-off last weekend. Play will start at 1pm.

Bexhill (possible): M. Johnson (c), Harriott (overseas), S. Johnson, Hambridge, Powell, Richardson, Bristow-Diamond, Wicks, Beale, Vaughan, Cox.

See today’s Bexhill Observer for the full article.