Cleeve Cricket Club

Burn looks to strengthen squads after promotion

Newly-promoted Cleeve Cricket Club is to host a junior and senior registration evening on Tuesday.

After experiencing one of its most successful seasons last year, the North Somerset club plans to use the event to strengthen the junior and senior squads for 2009.

Allan Burn, chairman of the club, said: "Next season will be an enormous challenge for the first team to ensure that, at a minimum, we maintain our Senior Division status, and even better build on last season's success by pressing for back-to-back promotions.

"To do this it is essential that we strengthen our resources by recruitment of quality players."

In 2008, the club celebrated its 60th anniversary with a Twenty20 match against the Gloucestershire Gladiators for Craig Spearman's benefit year, and also saw its first XI win the First Division title.

The team were promoted to the Bristol and District Senior Division in style, winning 11 out of 12 matches.

This season, Cleeve will bring professional talent back to its Meeting House Lane ground with another Twenty20 match against the Gladiators, this time in aid of Chris Taylor's benefit year, while the support of the two main sponsors – Clevedon Garages and Gibbs Engineering – has also been confirmed.

"The coming season will be interesting but with hard competition," said first team captain Mike Haswell.

"The Twenty20 match will prove a great opportunity for our young players to pit themselves against some of the best players and to measure their own abilities."

The registration evening is at the club from 7.30pm.

For more information, contact John Hance on 07943 858786.

Clevedon Mercury, 16 April 2009