Barnards Green have acted quickly to bring in new talent ahead of their first ever season in the top flight of the Birmingham District League.

As well as announcing that former Worcestershire and Leicestershire batter George Rhodes as the new club coach, Green have also recruited Worcestershire CCC seamer Charlie Morris as their contracted pro for next season.

Having made his Worcestershire debut in 2014 against Hampshire at the Ageas Bowl, Morris has now taken over 300 professional wickets and also has two fifties with the bat.

The 30-year-old's availability will largely depend on his workload for Worcestershire but when he is playing he will add some quality bowling to a Green squad already packed with firepower in that area.

But the game of cricket is obviously not just about bowling and the club have acted quickly to add some young talent at the top of the order.

Barnards Green have brought in Dan Holland from 2022 Voneus Village Cup champions Dumbleton for the 2023 campaign.

21-year-old Holland had quite the season in 2022, amassing a staggering 1117 runs from 18 league games in the West of England Premier League.

There were five hundreds and a top score of 200* in those games from last season at an impressive strike rate of 91.11 and he was honoured with the Batsman of Year award from the West of England Premier League.

The former Malvern College student also also helped Dumbleton to win the National Village Knockout at Lords and new coach Rhodes believes he is going to be a valuable addition to the squad.

"Dan’s appetite for scoring big runs had caught the eye and that his reputation for having an excellent work ethic was particularly attractive," he said.

"Because of these characteristics, I believe Dan will be an excellent fit at the Green and I am looking forward to seeing how he gets on."

Finally, the news that Rhodes has become club coach is a real nod to the future of Barnards Green.

Despite being a contracted player in recent years, Rhodes has taken every opportunity to make himself available for the club he has been at since 2009.

And now, he will be able to commit full-time to the club both off the pitch as a coach and on it as a player.

Preparations are now well and truly underway for the new season.