2025 PREVIEWS: Spring View look for a fresh start without two big names

It’s all change for 2025 at Spring View, as they prepare for a season without two mainstays of their side.

All-rounders Suleman Khan and Qaisar Ashraf scored 38% of their runs and took 74% of their wickets in Division One last year.

But they will not be around for 2025.

Some captains might be daunted – but Lewis Matthews is choosing to see it as a chance for a fresh start.

He said: “We basically just wanted to rejuvenate the squad a little bit and get some fresh faces with fresh ideas. 

“We’re looking for a bit more of an all-round performance, having heavily relied on two lads. 

“Hopefully I’ll be able to spread the bowling a bit, and we’ll all chip in with some more runs.”

Listen to The Last Hour Cricket Podcast

Spring View were something of a surprise package for their first two seasons in the second tier, finishing fourth in 2022 and third in 2023. 

But last year did not go as well, with the Wigan side flirting with relegation before finishing ninth.

To freshen things up a bit, former player Ian Critchley and his son James are arriving from Leyland in the Northern Premier, and slow left-armer Supun Kavinda from Sri Lanka.

Matthews is hoping the overseas pro can bring a similar energy to the club as their last Sri Lankan, 2022 import Buddika Karawgodalge.

“Sully and Qaiser lived a bit far away and couldn’t put anything into the club training-wise, they struggled to get to training,” he said. 

“Supun is going to live five minutes from the ground and it’s in his contract that he’s going to do a bit of coaching, so that’ll be a change.

“Buddika did the same, he was down at the club every night. He was great on and off the pitch and we’re looking for the same as that.”

Along with the younger Critchley, Edwin Geary and Nathan Ashford – winner of last year’s Chris Weston Bursary – are currently racking up the runs in the Southern Hemisphere ahead of the new season.

Matthews knows the start may not be the smoothest, but he hopes his new-look side will bed in soon enough.

He said: “I don’t want to set a target for the league, I just want everyone to contribute a bit more. Then we can see where we are after five or six games. 

“Obviously with some new faces it’s going to be a challenge to gel everyone together and find everyone’s right spot – that’s on me. 

“Hopefully after that we can hit the ground running and set some targets then.”

from Merseyside Cricket Online https://ift.tt/GypSYcg