Former Gloucestershire all-rounder Benny Howell will play for Painswick Cricket Club this season.

The club are looking to kick on after an impressive season last time out and they are delighted with their new signing.

“We’re really pleased,” said chairman Andy Barnard. “He’s 36, he’s still playing white-ball cricket for Hampshire and he’s been retained by Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred, he’s a very good player.”

Barnard says Howell, who lives in Bristol, will be available to play eight or 10 games for Painswick in Premier 2 Glos/Wilts of the West of England Premier League and it’s a division he knows well because he has been playing for Goatacre in recent times.

Goatacre finished two places and 27 points ahead of fifth-placed Painswick in the 10-strong division last season and Barnard wants to see his club improve on that this season.

“We’re ambitious, we want to move the club forward,” he said. “This will be our third season in this division and we feel established, our ambition is to be the best we can.

“Thornbury were quite clearly the best side last season but we beat them in the final game, that gave us a big boost.”

Howell’s signing has added to the feel-good factor around the club and Barnard continued: “We wanted to do something a bit different.

“We haven’t got an overseas player – Keegan Jansen Van Rensburg has gone back to South Africa, and we’re delighted to have Benny, he’ll bring a lot to the club.

“We’re quite a young side. We’re growing in confidence all the time but Benny will bring game-experience and lots of knowledge.”

He’ll also bring runs and wickets. He is a hard-hitting middle-order batsman while as a bowler he has been described as a mystery seamer, slower-ball specialist and a fast spinner.

“He bowls everything,” said Barnard.

Howell has become a short-form specialist in recent seasons – he’s played all over the world – but Barnard said he would “probably not” feature in Painswick’s WEPL T20 campaign.

Howell is also ineligible for the National Village Cup, a competition in which Painswick reached the last eight last season.

“We want to push on in the Village Cup and the T20,” said Barnard, whose family have had a long association with Painswick Cricket Club.

Barnard plays for the club’s 2^nd XI and is very much looking forward to the start of the season.

So is his 18-year-old daughter Chloe, a left-arm quick bowler, who has just been selected for Gloucestershire Women’s squad.