With just under three weeks to the start of the new campaign, White Coppice CC team skippers have been reflecting on what has been another highly productive winter and their hopes for the new campaign.

Since the conclusion of last season, work has continued on trying to secure the club’s long term future.

Fundraising has continued through events such as five-a-side football, darts nights and even our chairman doing bike rides.

The money has allowed the project for a two lane net bay up at the club to become a reality.

Work is ongoing as we speak in regard to planning permission with the hope that they can be installed during the upcoming season.

The net bay would allow better training facilities and allow the club to begin a junior and women’s section.

A huge thank you to anyone and everyone who has helped support with any donations.

The standard and attendance at winter nets has been nothing short of phenomenal. Regular attendances of twenty plus lads has enabled us to put on a variety of sessions with us even moving to two net nights over the week to cater for numbers.

A real culture is emerging of lads wanting to improve their game and a huge thank you must go to Ryan Adderley for that as a large part of that is down to his work on creating engaging training drills aimed on making players better cricketers.

A big Coppice welcome also to the new lads who have joined us too. They’ve fitted in so well and certainly improve the quality of cricketers we now have at the club.

After finishing fifth last season and managing to keep a spot in Division Five during the restructuring of the leagues, the first team are hoping to go one better and challenge for silverware on both fronts.

‘We were pleased to keep ourselves in Div 5 for this year’ says skipper Jake Smalley, ‘We are looking forward to playing against the sides coming down and firmly believe we can be more than competitive at that level.’

‘It would be brilliant to challenge for some silverware this year. Whether that be the league or the Crabtree Cup.’

‘It would really underline the work we have put in over the past three and a bit years to steer the club back in the right direction and it would also put the league on watch to show that we are firmly committed to raising our club’s profile.’

After successfully guiding the club’s first second XI league season in over a decade, 2s skipper Martin Cuerden is feeling very optimistic about his side’s chances of promotion from Division Eight.

‘This year, I want to have a real crack at the 2s getting promoted. With another league restructure and the work we’ve been doing, I’m really hopeful that this year we can really push on,’ says Cuerden.

‘We’ve kept the vast majority of the side that had a really good finish to the season last year, combine that with a few handy additions at nets, I think we’ve got a really good base to work from this year. Last year was a bit of a step into the unknown but this year we largely know what to expect.’

‘We’ve made some huge strides as a club over the last couple of years off the pitch, and know its time to see that replicated on the pitch.’

At the end of the season, the club’s cricket committee decided to create a more competitive Sunday team with a new 3rd XI being born.

The team will play more competitive Sunday cricket than pure friendly cricket and it will be skippered by Coppice’s tallest man, Tom Dulson.

Rookie skipper Dulson will be tasked with helping form a clearer pathway to the Saturday teams and he’s very much looking forward to his first campaign as captain.

‘I can’t wait for the season to start. We’ve had a great winter nets & I’m excited to lead the 3rd XI. We’ve got a great bunch of lads, who’ve developed well & I want to see them thrive with this competitive 3s team.’

The season starts for Coppice with a weekend of pre season friendlies over the 11th/12th April. The 1s hosting Whittle and Clayton, 2s travelling to the newly refurbished Riverside to take on BAC/EE and the 3s making their debut against Bolton by Bowland.

We can’t wait for it all to start again. We also can’t wait to have you with us again supporting us on the sidelines.

The sunny days up at The Green are fast approaching once again.

Up the Coppice 🏏