New Cirencester captain Billy Breen wants to take the club up a notch this season.

And if he succeeds, that would be enough to earn Cirencester promotion into Premier Two Glos/Wilts of the West of England Premier League after a fine season last time out, which saw them finish second in the Gloucestershire Division behind Corse and Staunton.

“Promotion is definitely the aim this season,” said 29-year-old Breen. “We want to go one better than 2021.

“We had a very good season last year. We beat Corse and Staunton and then in the second game against them we had them on the ropes but we were scuppered by the rain, it was very unfortunate.

“We’ve got pretty much the same side as last year so we’re confident.”

That means that last season’s captain Jamie Jamieson-Black will again be a key player for Cirencester.

“He wanted to take a step back from captaincy and just enjoy his cricket,” explained Breen. “He’s one of three brothers in the side and they all bat and all bowl.”

Jono and Jock are the other two and Breen will be hoping that all three can make sizeable contributions this season.

Breen has been playing 1^st XI cricket for the past 14 years and he knows what it takes to lead a team because he has been the club’s midweek captain for the past five years.

“I enjoyed it,” he said. “We played on a Wednesday evening in a local league. There’s not so much pressure at that level as there is in Saturday league cricket but it was a good experience.”

So what sort of captain is Breen?

“I’d like to think of myself as a tactical captain,” he said. “I’ve played enough cricket to know when to make the right moves.”

And while Breen the captain will obviously be very influential, Breen the player will still be very important too.

“I bowl medium-paced seam up,” he said. “Traditionally I bowl towards the end of the innings when the pressure is at its greatest.”

And what about his batting?

“I’m definitely a bowler,” he laughed, before adding, “but everyone likes to think they can bat. I traditionally bat at nine, I can hit the ball straight pretty well.

“I’ll get ripped by the team for saying this but I consider myself a bit of a hitter.”

And while Breen may well be able to chip in with some runs from time to time, that’s obviously not his primary job and, happily, there are others who are primed and ready to take on the responsibility of getting runs on the board for the team.

“We’ve got a talented bunch of boys,” said Breen. “Wicketkeeper/batsman Will Mason is a very talented cricketer. He’s a very explosive batsman who can take the game away from the opposition.

“James Boyle is another very talented player and we’re looking forward to having him back once he finishes at Exeter University. He’s a quality all-rounder, someone you can depend on in all circumstances.”

Breen is also hoping for big things from 17-year-old left-arm spinner Louis Sabbagh-Holt who was voted the league’s most valuable player last season.

“He’ll be very good, especially if he improves his fielding,” added Breen, who is also a coach at the club.

But while Breen is very keen for his team to improve their final position by one this season, it’s not only the 1^st XI that concerns him.

The one-time Deer Park School pupil, who was born in Cirencester, is a club man through and through and he said: “The main thing is to move the club forward in all areas.

“We are trying to boost numbers across our juniors and our seniors.

“Covid helped us in a way because a lot of people rekindled their interest in local sport.

“We’ve got four men’s teams playing Saturday league cricket, a midweek team and we play in a T20 league.

“We’ve got a women’s team and about 200 youngsters signed on from under-9s through to under-15s.

“We also run the All Stars and Dynamos programmes so we’re looking to fire on all fronts this season, there’s no resting on our laurels, it’s non-stop cricket at Cirencester.”

It certainly is and while the club are clearly very dynamic on the field, they have big plans off it too.

“We want to redevelop our pavilion,” continued Breen. “We want to improve our playing facilities and our practice facilities, we’re in talks to see if we can extend our playing area.”

That would be great for the cricket club, of course, and it’s fair to say that on and off and pitch there is plenty of ambition at Cirencester.