Summer certainly appears to be a long way off at the moment, and swimming or water polo might be a better way to enjoy sport but the officers of Sparsholt Cricket Club are very busy preparing for that sunshine and warm weather when it does eventually come. They are delighted to announce that Andy Worth will captain the first eleven in their ECB Southern League cricket campaign this summer. Worth spent the last two years as second team captain, but, having been called upon to bolster the batting line up several times in the first team in 2013, he is looking forward to the challenge ahead. Worth said ‘we have some very talented youngsters at the club, as well as old heads like Mark Stone and Mike Doubell – if we play well and have good availability, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t mount a serious challenge this year’.

Sparsholt’s ranks will be bolstered by at least wo new players – 15 year old Mike Haworth (image 1), and twenty one year old Australian Jayden Derosa. Haworth joins the club from Compton and Chandlers Ford. A prolific runscorer last year, he is part of the Hampshire Emerging Players Program, and steps up from Hampshire League to Southern League cricket in an effort to support this program. Worth said ‘ I rate Mike very highly with a great deal of potential - technically he looks a very good bat, and his accurate medium pace should offer us something in the bowling department as well. Derosa is playing first grade cricket in Western Australia for Rockingham Mandurah and cannot wait to make his first trip to Europe, arriving at Sparsholt mid April.

Cricket co-ordinator Norman Gough is confident that Derosa will acquit himself well ‘ Jayden has big shoes to fill – his predecessors Dan Payne (2011 and 2013) and Matt Peterson (2012) were big runscorers but I am confident that Jayden will enjoy his season at Sparsholt and do a good job for us’. These two join a strong looking batting line up including Ed Jenner, Stuart Tognarelli, Lewis Dunford, Tim Vokes and Dave Gough.

Stepping down from the captaincy, Lewis Dunford will be able to concentrate on his batting, last year’s tally of nearly 450 runs was Dunford’s best yet in the Southern League, and Worth sees no reason why he shouldn’t improve on that still further in 2014. Hard hitters, Vokes and Gough have been key players for the club in the past, after the loss of a number of older players threatened the club’s Southern League status, and both have been key players in keeping the side in the Southern League while new players have been recruited, or juniors have been gradually prepared and introduced into first team cricket.

Chairman Martin Harlow, who met Derosa on a recent holiday in Australia, said that the longer batting line up should allow Vokes and Gough to bat more freely, hopefully peppering the club’s Locks Lane boundary in the summer. In the batting department, Sparsholt will be trying to equal or even improve on the 2013 figures of four centuries – a magnificent performance in the 

extremely competitive arena of high standard league cricket where only eleven in total were scored in Sparsholt’s division. Aussie Payne scored two, skipper Dunford one, and Tognarelli one (plus another, a magnificent 159 in the  Sunday National Village Knockout Cup against Bramshaw). The century count was even more remarkable in that only two  had been scored by Sparsholt players in the whole of the last five seasons, and one of those was by Payne.

Payne’s hundreds plus four scores of 50 or more helped him become the leading runscorer in the division with a superb tally of 748 runs. Unfortunately Payne had returned home to Adelaide before the award was presented so it was collected by skipper Lewis Dunford on his behalf at the annual Southern League dinner (image 2).

In the bowling department, Alex Dilley (image 3), son of former Kent, Worcestershire and England paceman Graham Dilley (image 4) (who sadly lost his battle with cancer in 2011) has also set himself target of 30 wickets for this summer. Winchester University student Dilley took fifteen wickets last season but was only available for half of the season and he vows to play more this summer. Dilley’s style is reminiscent of his father – older readers will remember in particular seeing Dilley senior helping Ian Botham in the famous Headingly test in 1981where England managed a remarkable victory from a seemingly hopeless position. As usual, Jon Vokes (Sparsholts leading wicket taker for the past two seasons), and the consistent and economical Steve Wright will provide the seam attack with Dilley. It is expected that the two newcomers, Derosa and Haworth will back them up if needed, with spin options coming from Stone, Doubell and Gough.

Off the field veteran Bill Gunyon has handed over the groundsman duties to Neville Vokes. Gunyon spent many seasons at Sparsholt, initially as a prolific opening batsman scoring thousands of runs for the club, then taking over the groundsman role from Norman Edwards for a number of years as well. The committee were quick give huge thanks to Gunyon for all his services in the past.

With three Saturday teams running, plus Sunday and midweek elevens, Sparsholt are always happy to welcome new players. Indoor nets have started at Winchester College on Monday evenings, moving to outdoor nets in late March at the ground -  anyone i

nterested in joining Sparsholt Cricket Club (at whatever standard) will be most welcome and should contact Norman Gough on norman.gough@sparsholtcc.co.uk;or 07557 338341 for more details.