Embracing the challenge: Little Common Ramblers captain Jon Meredith plans for life in Sussex's third tier

How are you feeling about the challenge of Division 3 East?

The whole group is really excited about the challenge. It’s definitely a step up in quality, but we’ve earned our place here. We know it won’t be like last year—we won’t be winning every week—but there’s a real belief in the squad that we can compete and make our mark in this league.

Have there been any changes to the squad for 2025?

It’s largely the same group that’s done such a great job for us over the past few seasons. We’ve brought in Kaleb Auld, a seam-bowling all-rounder from Brisbane, and we’re really looking forward to seeing what he brings. He adds some useful depth with the bat and will slot in nicely alongside VK, Fin, and Harvey to round out the seam attack.

Renay now qualifies as a local, having made the move to the area permanently. He’s been a brilliant addition already, and we’re backing his left-arm spin to go really well this year.

Naturally, we’ll be hoping Malcolm can pick up where he left off after a fantastic year with the bat in 2024.

We’ve also got a couple more new faces through the door – they’ll be ready to step up if needed by the 1XI, and they’ll definitely add strength to the 2XI as they look to go one better after just missing out on promotion last season.

And it’s your 11th season as captain, how have you seen the club evolve?

When I first took on the role, we had just two Saturday teams. Now we’re running four, and competing at the highest level in the club’s history. Quietly, we’re proud to be the highest-ranked side in the Bexhill area – a reflection of just how far we’ve come.

A huge amount of credit goes to those who came prior to the last decade – players, coaches, and captains who laid the foundations, and especially those who helped develop the players now representing the club at senior level. The majority of our first team today, myself included, came through our youth set up which is something we’re very proud of.

Our current committee – a younger group full of energy and ideas – are doing a brilliant job keeping pace with the progress on the field. They’re making improvements year after year, helping to ensure the club keeps moving forward in every area.

We are lucky to have people that care, cricket demands a lot of time of players and volunteers, so we work hard to make the club a place people want to be. We run a number of socials and even the occasional European tour, thanks to Jake Ralph who also runs the club social media and thriving colts section.

The ground is now maintained entirely by club volunteers (Lloyd, Mark and Ray) outside of working hours. We are hugely grateful to all of our volunteers who give up their time to make the club what it is.

I don’t know how long I’ll continue as captain but I’m confident the club is in a great place. Check out our social media accounts for fixtures and pay us a visit one match day.