Will Simmons has returned from a 10-day family holiday in Cornwall refreshed and ready for the hard work ahead as he looks to guide Cheltenham Cricket Club back to the elite level in the West of England Premier League.

Simmons, who is about to embark on his ninth season as captain, believes Cheltenham have good enough players to be mixing it with the big boys in Premier One but knows the club have to earn that right over a long season.

They open their Premier Two Glos/Wilts campaign at home to Rockhampton on Saturday 6th May with Simmons declaring: “Promotion is the target this season. It’s very important that we get back into Premier One. That’s my number one aim as captain.

“We messed it up last season. We were unbeaten in the first half of 2016 but then lost a couple of games and that affected us.

“We’ve got to make sure we have the right mindset this season. We’ve got a good all-round team but we’ve got to be mentally strong. That’s probably what cost us last season.”

The new campaign is all the more interesting because Cheltenham will, for the first time, be locking horns with near neighbours Hatherley and Reddings in Saturday league cricket following Hatherley’s promotion from the Gloucestershire Division.

“It will make things spicy,” said Simmons. “They will want to knock us over, that’s for sure. We’ve had the same with Gloucester City Winget and it’s just something we’ve got to deal with. They’ll be up for it and we’ve got to be ready for them.”

Simmons, who is now the second longest serving captain in the club’s history behind Don Perry – he was skipper for 14 years over two spells – will be relying on many of the tried and trusted players who were shoulder to shoulder with him in the previous campaign.

One new face, though, is Jeremy Duncan, who flew in from New Zealand last week.

“He’s a top order batsman who can bowl a bit of spin,” said Simmons. “He’s 19 or 20 and has played a good level of cricket in Christchurch and done pretty well.

Duncan is the first overseas player the club have had for a number of years – “We’ve tried to introduce our own players over the past few seasons,” explained Simmons – and was recommended to the club by Matt Jennings.

Jennings was a key player for Cheltenham last season but is currently travelling in New Zealand. Another player who will be missing, at least for the first part of the season, is Harry Arthur who is at university in Swansea.

Simmons, nevertheless, remains upbeat about the club’s prospects for the new campaign.

“We’ve got 20 players at the club who want to play in the first team,” he said. “The atmosphere in the dressing room is good and I believe we are somewhere close to being one of the top teams in the division.”

Among those 20 players is a youngster who Simmons has high hopes for.

Henry Findlay-Wilson is only 15 and is part of the elite cricket programme in Gloucestershire.

“He looks a real talent,” said Simmons. “He’s got plenty of time when he is batting and makes it look very easy.”

Not that he’s going to walk into the first team.

“He’ll need to prove himself but for someone so young he looks an excellent talent,” said Simmons

The hugely personable Simmons is Cheltenham Cricket Club through and through. Although captain of the club’s flagship team, he takes a big interest in all the goings on at the club.

A few years ago he introduced the Don Perry Clubman Award, given to the player or person who has done most to support the club.

“We are trying to develop the club,” said Simmons, “As well as a player, Don Perry was also a secretary and treasurer. He was a real all-rounder and did so much for the club.”

The current holder of the award – for the second time – is 3rd XI captain Stefan Hunt. “He does an unbelievable amount for the club and is exactly the sort of person we want,” said Simmons. “He coaches the juniors, organises the summer camps and is a standout captain – he’s an absolute standout guy.”

Simmons isn’t a bad captain himself and reckons he may now hold the record for the longest unbroken run as 1st XI skipper.

The wicketkeeper/batsman, who usually bats down the order and is happy to adapt his batting style according to the match situation, has a typically unselfish outlook when it comes to captaincy.

“If I can sit on the balcony and watch our top seven batsmen who are much more talented than me get the runs then I am happy,” he said.

“As a captain I love the challenge. I love the lads I play with but it’s a real club effort – the 2nds and 3rds as well.

“I want to bring in a culture where we’re all in it together.”