Apperley’s flagship team may be enjoying a stellar campaign in Division One of the Gloucestershire County League but just as encouraging is that the club’s long-term future would appear to be very rosy as well.

That’s because the club have a thriving youth section, one that will hopefully provide youngsters with a pathway to the adult teams for many years to come.

And for the first time this season the club are also running a girls’ team alongside the established boys’ teams.

The girls’ team – it is an under-11 side – are managed by Mike Ahearne, who usually plays for the club’s 2nd XI and is in his fourth season with Apperley.

Ahearne’s daughter Megan is a member of the new team and along with Rona MacKenzie and Sophie Rayer is also part of the Gloucestershire set-up.

Ahearne is in his first season in his new role and he is understandably delighted with the way the girls are developing their cricket.

“The plan is to run an under-13 girls’ team next season as well,” said Ahearne, “we’ll be actively recruiting this winter.

“We also run boys’ teams at under-9, under-11 and under-13 age groups. Our under-13s are very young – they’ll be good next year – and in a couple of years we want to run under-15 teams for both boys and girls.”

These certainly are exciting times for Apperley Cricket Club and Ahearne, a former Shurdington and Cranham player, said: “The youngsters are the lifeblood of the club.

“We want players coming through our youth teams and into the adult sides, we’ve got enough talented cricketers in the village.”

One of those youngsters making their way in the youth section is Ahearne’s eight-year-old son Ben, who has been playing for the under-11s.

He’s obviously a good cricketer, just like the three county players who are playing in Ahearne’s girls’ team.

Megan is an all-rounder who opens the batting and is also a decent bowler.

“When the umpire asked her what she bowled while she was marking out her run-up, she just said ‘pace’,” laughed her dad.

“Rona is the most natural leg-spinner I’ve seen in my life, if she works hard she will go far in cricket.

“Sophie is the daughter of Neil Rayer who plays for Kingsholm. She’s an all-rounder who bowls medium pace left-arm. She’s also a county tennis player.”

And Ahearne is absolutely delighted that they’re all playing for Apperley.

“It’s a fantastic club,” he said, “the groundstaff work so hard. Of all the wickets I’ve played on it’s the best. That’s from a batsman’s perspective and I’m a bowler!”