With Thorverton entering a 3rd XI into the Devon League for the first time in six seasons, we sat down with James Meredith to preview the season.
A great deal of optimism at the club surrounding the reintroduction of the thirds, how excited are you to get going?
Very excited to get the season underway. It’s been in the development plan for a couple of years, so it’s great see it come to fruition. We’ve got some enthusiastic juniors & adults, so it’s great we can provide more cricket for all.
How confident are you that we can meet the challenges of getting three sides out each Saturday?
I’m quite confident we’ll be able to turn three sides out, some weeks will be tricky but we’ll manage it. The re-introduction of the third team has resulted in some helpful recruitment over the winter with new & returning players. We’ve also got a healthy pool of junior players & some of the ladies softball team are keen to try hardball. I’ve also got a handful of people I know I can call on when we’re short so they’ll be essential when a lot are unavailable.
How important is it to have a home ground as good as Clyst Hydon’s?
It’s great we’ve secured that agreement. Any third team in the area would love to have it as their home ground. Clyst Hydon don’t just let it to any club, which says a lot about our own. They’ve got the full set up & take great pride in the ground, so we should get some decent wickets & good cricket there. Plus it’s not too far from Thorverton. It makes it an ideal proving ground for our juniors to learn & experience all aspects of open age cricket in my opinion.
What are the goals for the season?
Win a few games & ideally finish about mid table.
The main goal is to have an environment where everyone is enjoying their cricket. Sounds cliché, but I think that is vital to ensure come the end of the season we have juniors who have improved and feel more confident so they can progress up the teams.
Are there any players you’re expecting big things of this season?
Similar to what Benny said, Olly Coe is looking good pre-season so I’d be delighted to have him in the side but he’ll be pushing for 2s. Another one looking good is Chris Winzer with the bat, he could score some runs in the 3s.
The club as a whole seems to be in a really good place at the moment, what do you want to see continue and where could we improve?
That’s a great question. We’re where we are thanks to all the hard work that people put in behind the scenes, so that’s got to continue. The atmosphere that everyone has helped create is something I’d love to keep going, there aren’t many clubs with a vibe like ours.
Our connection to local community is getting stronger & we need to continue to improve that with the pavilion project. We also still need more volunteers, especially with the expansion to three teams. Even if it’s just helping out with one game or painting a fence, it all helps.
If you could make one rule change in cricket, what would it be?
In Devon, the run rate rule for interruptions is a pain if you’re on the wrong side of it. Change that to use a DLS app.
The 3rd XI take to the field for the first time in 6 seasons on Saturday, taking on Culmstock 2nd XI at Clyst Hydon’s Merryfield ground.
Thorverton Cricket Club 