The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
Town are very happy to have been written off
Cricket - Northants League season starts
Quiet confidence will underpin Peterborough Town’s Northants League campaign this season.
The optimistic fanfare that usually accompanies the start of the city side’s Northants Premier Division season is absent - losing star bowlers Joe Dawborn and Paul McMahon has seen to that - but skipper David Clarke expects his team to prove the naysayers wrong.
Oundle’s big summer recruitment drive has seen them installed as more likely title winners than a Town team who have not finished outside the top three in a decade.
But Clarke is happy about that as he prepares to lead Town into their first match at Rushden on Saturday. Oundle’s all-star team host Brixworth at Milton Road (noon).
“We’ve lost a couple of star names, but we’ve picked up a couple of quality players in Rob Sayer and Vansh Bajaj as well,” Clarke insisted.
“It’s going to be different this season as we will probably sneak under the radar a bit, but that might suit us.
“I still expect us to do well. We are not resigned to a season when we don’t challenge for the title. We will aim to be competitiveineverygameand see where it takes us. The top three is our goal.
“Rushden are usually an aggressive team so we will have to be ready for that.”
Lewis Bruce is the only notable absentee from Town’s team. Bajaj and seamer Mark Edwards, from Ramsey, will make their Town debuts.
Town: D. Clarke, A. Butt, R. Sayer, K. Judd, V. Bajaj, A. Mitchell, D. Sayer, M. Milner, C. Milner, J. Smith, M. Edwards.
■ Cambs face Bucks at High Wycombe in their opening Unicorns Trophy match on Sunday. Wisbech all-rounder James Williams is the skipper.
Cambs: J. Williams, E. Ballard, B, Howgego, M. Pepper, C. Guest. R. Sayer, P. Summerskill, R. Gordon, J. Dawborn, J. Sykes, S. Rippington.
■ Hunts open with a friendly against the Northants Academy at Ramsey on Sunday (11am). Ramsey’s Michael Cafferkey is the skipper.
Hunts: M. Cafferkey, N. Green, K. Judd, T. West, C. Craig, Z. Manzoor, J. Dumford, B. Hussain, M. Milner, D. Sayer, H. Craig.