Brehaut eyes return to top
In 40 years of Sussex League cricket Horsham CC had never been out of the top flight.
The Lions have won the Premier Division eight times and the Sussex Cup on 13 occasions, including three seasons when they carried off both.
And in 2005, they won the National Cup at Lord’s.
Relegation in 2018 came as a bitter blow – and nobody is more determined to ensure Horsham’s return to the top table than the club’s impressive left-arm opening bowler James Brehaut.
Working closely with new cricket manager Ben Williams, captain Michael Thornely and chairman Richard Marshall, 21-year-old Brehaut, who has already notched up multiple seasons at the club, has set about helping to rebuild Horsham cricket on and off the field.
He said: “We’re really lucky at Horsham keeping hold of our homegrown pros – Will Beer, Tom Clark and Tom Haines – and we’ve had some excellent overseas players, too, including Aussie David Hussey and Kiwi Matt Henry, both of whom went on to perform brilliantly internationally, and, of course, Jofra Archer was with us before he joined Sussex and England.
“And, it’s really great that Chris Nash is returning – we’ll learn so much from him and Horsham’s other Sussex players.”
Brehaut stressed that Horsham were keen to develop the next generation of outstanding first teamers.
He added: “We’ve got some very good lads coming through, so, much as we really do value our professional stars, and it says a lot for the commitment at the club that they’re keen to stay on board, we also want to bring on our up and comings.”
Currently on the first year of a sports degree course at Cardiff University, Brehaut will be keeping his hand in with some games for Swansea CC, and is on Wales’ radar in the Minor Counties tournament, but Horsham is his main cricket commitment.
Brehaut said: “All the signs are good at the club, and while I’m thoroughly enjoying my uni course, with some excellent tutors, who possess unbeatable experience from the Commonwealth Games and other leading competitions, I’m eagerly awaiting rejoining Horsham cricket and am looking forward to doing my bit to getting us back up into the Premier.”