Swardeston swept all before them in 2008 – and they look a good bet to dominate again in the coming season, which starts tomorrow with the first round of EAPL games.
Mark Thomas’ side won the EAPL by 41 points last year, while also bagging the Norfolk Twenty20 Cup and the Carter Cup. They were only denied a unique quadruple when beaten by Vauxhall Mallards in a replayed Biss Trophy final.
With largely the same squad of players, Swardeston will start as favourites to land their third consecutive EAPL title – a feat only Mallards have managed to achieve in the competition’s 10-year history.
Thomas, whose side are at home to Bury tomorrow, said: “Having won it twice in a row, and fairly comfortably last year, people will probably think of us as the team to beat I guess. So it will be hard, I’m sure.
“When you start the season the league is the one you want to win. Normally at the end of the season the best team wins the league and clearly that’s what we want to do again.
“I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t. We’ll still have the same core of the team, there’ll be eight or nine faces who are exactly the same as last year, so hopefully we can at least challenge at the top.”
That consistency of selection has been at the heart of Swardeston’s recent success – although Thomas admits several younger players are pushing for selection: “We’re trying to bring the youngsters in gradually, which I think has worked,” he said. “Sam Thelwell is a prime example – he mainly played on Sundays last year and he is in the side tomorrow. I personally think you can rush youngsters in and they go backwards. We try to integrate them and it’s nice when they stay loyal to the club and we can introduce them to the EAPL.”
Thelwell’s promise was clear in his nerveless spell during last year’s Carter Cup final, returning figures of one for 14 in seven overs and it was recognised with a Norfolk call-up for last weekend’s pre-season friendlies.
Thomas said: “Sam’s a very good bowler. He played in all the 20/20 games, the Biss Trophy and the Carter Cup games last year and you could probably argue he would get in most other EAPL sides.”
Of last year’s squad, only Rob Newton is likely to be unavailable this year, owing to his commitments with the Northamptonshire academy. New faces include youngster Ben Baldwin from Topcroft, while Jimmy Walker is available for first XI selection again.
The season starts a week early this year following the entry of two additional teams – Saffron Walden and Halstead. There will be another extra round of games on August Bank Holiday Monday, with two more Saturday fixtures tagged on to the end of the season.
Thomas admitted the new format was not entirely to his taste, adding: “I wanted Saffron Walden to come in, but I would have preferred it to stay at 10 teams to be honest. It’s a big commitment and I just think there was enough cricket already.”
Swardeston and CEYMS’ junior coaching starts with their registration evening on Tuesday, May 5. ECB-qualified coaches will be taking the sessions, which will run for 11 weeks on Tuesday nights. Each session costs £3 and children aged seven and over may attend.
Article courtesy of the Eastern Daily Press
