Last year wasn’t a vintage season for Stroud Cricket Club but that hasn’t dampened the enthusiasm for the 2017 campaign.

Secretary Tom Legg admitted the club underperformed in the Glos/Wilts Division of the West of England Premier League last time out.

“We stayed up but we want to do much better,” he said. “Promotion is always the aim. The target is to progress and move the club forward.”

Legg knows that won’t be easy for a club that moved to their new ground in Ryeford in 2012.

“It’s a very decent standard,” he said of the league’s third tier, “but there’s not a lot between the teams. There are only 10 teams in the division so it’s not like a football league – a couple more wins and a couple fewer defeats can make all the difference.”

Will Golding will again captain the club this season and if he is to mastermind a promotion push he will be helped greatly if 22-year-old overseas player Dominic Thompson from New Zealand makes a fast start.

His CV looks good. “He does everything,” said Legg, “He bats, bowls spin and can keep wicket as well.”

Golding will also be hoping that brothers Chris and James Job maintain their form of the past two seasons.

All-rounder Chris and bowler James came through the club’s ranks and the club are justifiably proud of their youth set-up.

“We have over a 100 youngsters turn up to training every Monday night and we run two teams at under-9, 11, 13 and 15 age groups,” Legg said. “We’re also going to get involved with the All Stars Cricket project which introduces five to eight-year-olds to the sport.”

The club run four Saturday sides and have also reformed their Sunday team under the captaincy of Rich Tuttle, who plays for the 2nds or 3rds on a Saturday.

Legg, who describes himself as “a bowler who can sometimes bat”, also turns out for the 2nds and 3rds although he is unlikely to be wearing his whites before June after his wife Manuela recently gave birth to their daughter Mia.

He will still be involved in the club, however, and hopes more people will come on board to help propel the club forward.

“Commitment is a huge problem,” he said. “A lot more goes into running a cricket club than a rugby club or a football club. You’ve got the pitches to prepare and the ground to sort as well as getting money into the club. We need more members and we’re open to anybody.”