Ipplepen set out stall for promotion

 AFTER two seasons of being so near and yet so far, Ipplepen are aiming to ensure that 2014 is the year when B Division cricket is finally secured at Moor Road.

The Pens occupied a promotion spot for substantial chunks of both the 2012 and 2013 seasons, only to fade away in the latter stages and just miss out on a top-two finish.

However, with no departures from the club anticipated over the winter, there is no need to press the panic button just yet.

Keith Wakeham, the long-serving 1st XI captain, said: “We have been developing a young squad for several seasons now, which is reflected by the fact 26 year old Dave Harris is now one of the veterans.

“We feel confident we can keep the group together for at least another year – university commitments not withstanding – and in reality we could be very competitive again next season with exactly the same team.”

Wakeham may be happy with what he has, but won’t turn away new blood which will strengthen the club.

 “It would be foolish at this stage to completely rule out any new signings, but if we did look to bolster the 1st XI squad then it would need to be the right person both in terms of cricket ability and personality,” said Wakeham.

“We don’t want to go down the route of tapping up every Tom, Dick and Harry in the county to see if they want to play here?

“If there was a player or two out there interested in playing high-quality, highly enjoyable cricket in a properly run community club, and we felt they strengthened our options, then we would definitely encourage them to get in contact.”

The launch of a 3rd XI in 2013 underlined the club’s expanding playing resources. Their 2nd XI’s solid mid-table finish in the A Division demonstrates the strength in depth at Moor Road.

 “When we entered the 3rd XI into the league, we were worried whether we would get a team out each week,” said team captain and junior head coach Chris Partridge.

“By the end of the season it was more a case of worrying about who we had to leave out, rather than whether we could find 11 players?

“The young players in the club have been a credit to us with their performances and dedication to league cricket.”

“When you have players like Corey Price, Callum King, Callum Thomas and Ben Cowdry, all at the age of 13 playing regular senior cricket and contributing to a successful team, it can only bode well for the future.

“I am already excited about having a new crop of youngsters like Todd Powell, Sean Richards and Alex Harris available for 3rd XI duty next season!”

Simon Tapley, the hugely experienced captain of the 2nd XI, added: “We started the season with a smattering of younger players amongst a team with a fairly high average age.

“However as the season went on the youngsters more than earned their spurs and by August we had the likes of Lydia Harris and Harry Lewis progressing from the 3rd XI alongside Liam Price and Josh Lucas who were two of our most consistent bowlers all season.”

Ipplepen’s ambition shows no sign of abating with exciting plans for development of their Moor Road ground likely to be announced early in the New Year. 

The development of young players will start again in early January with a raft of indoor coaching sessions to support juniors of all ages and abilities.

Contact Wakeham on 07540 053 489 or Partridge on 07887 513 800 for more details about the club.

 


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