BARNT Green Cricket Club are hoping the form they showed in the latter half of last season will continue throughout the new campaign.

The close season has been a busy time for club officials with improvements made to the clubhouse and general facilities.

After storm damage the club needed to finance new covers which will cost over £7,000 therefore a major sponsorship draw was arranged. Over 60 companies entered the competition and the draw was held recently.

Neil Smith, the Warwickshire player, who has a benefit this year, made the draw which was won by Liquid Plastics Limited. Their name will appear on all club shirts while other companies drawn will sponsor home First Eleven games. In addition the club is pleased to announce that local builder's merchant E H Smith Limited will continue to act as ground sponsor.

At the AGM all the existing cricket officials were elected for the new season, the only change being the honourable role of club president with club stalwart Tom Gray being elected. Lyndon Jones will be leading the first team for the third consecutive year, which again this year will include club coach Gavin Haynes.

A bonus for Jones will be the availability all season of former world cup finalist Richard Illingworth who retired from the first class game at the end of last season.

The young New Zealander Kris Howes is returning for a second season and at the time of going to press, the club was waiting confirmation that Mark Seleck, the Kidderminster seamer, has joined the club.

Worcestershire have allocated the club established first team star Sheriyar and promising all rounder Duncan Cattrell.

Apart from the established first eleven players, the club are hoping that promising young county players Mark Bagley, Zaf Ahmed and James Clarke will make a breakthrough to the higher level. The club are further boosted by the signing of promising Worcester Royal Grammar School players James Watkins and Tim Payton while two other rising county stars have been attending the club's winter nets at Edgbaston. In addition, Chris Edwards, having finished school, will be available all season after honing his skills in New Zealand this winter playing with Kris Howes at Riccarton Cricket Club in Christchurch.

Darren Cullen, the second eleven skipper, who apparently got married in the close season, will be hoping these young players will form the backbone of his newly promoted team to the Second Eleven premier league. The canny Cullen is honeymooning in Australia, therefore further signings are expected!

Junior cricket continues to strengthen with the club committed to playing 85 matches from u10 to u17 this season. The players have been training hard in the close season at Bromsgrove School under the tutorage of Richard Illingworth and Gavin Haynes, both level three coaches.

Registration day for all players is on Sunday, April 21, from 11 am to 2pm, which will be followed by a practice match. The club welcomes new members, both senior and junior.

Finally, a date for your diary in May when the Cherry Hill ground has been chosen as the venue for the Worcestershire Second Eleven fixture versus Yorkshire on May 14-16, which should be an attractive game.