Will Naish will lead from the front as Frocester prepare for their return to the top flight of the West of England Premier Cricket League.

The 19-year-old took over as skipper midway through last season and he made an immediate impact as he steered the club to the Premier Two Glos/Wilts title.

Now he’s looking forward to rubbing shoulders with the likes of Bath, Bedminster and Bridgwater in Premier One, and the club are certainly not going there just to make up the numbers in the 10-strong division.

“I think it’s a bit negative to say we’re just going to try to stay up,” he told The Local Answer. “I think we can do better than that, I’ve got quite high ambitions. With the players we’ve got I‘d like to see us finish in the top half of the table.

“I don’t mind if we’re the underdogs, I think we’ve got players who are good enough to rise to the challenge.”

Naish, who is in the second year of a two-year rookie contract with Gloucestershire, will be a key player for Frocester, of course.

The all-rounder – he bats at the top of the order and bowls right-arm medium quick – has long been a standout performer for Frocester since becoming a regular in the 1st XI in the days when Nick Trainor was the captain.

And Frocester Cricket Club mean a lot to the one-time Wycliffe College pupil.

“Nick Trainor believed in me from a very early age,” he said. “I’ve been playing first-team cricket for Frocester since I was 13.”

Trainor, who played for Gloucestershire in the mid-90s, has been a big influence on Naish, as has current chairman John Evans, and club stalwarts Al Downey and Eric Woodmason.

“I’m pretty young to be captain,” admitted Naish. “I’m often the youngest player in the team but I’ve got confidence from the club, they’ve backed me. That comes from the top – Evo, Ali Downey and Eric.

“But I’ve always been a natural leader in any team sport, whether it be cricket or rugby.

“When the club asked me to be captain I was really happy to step in.”

Naish obviously knows a thing or two about leading a team – he captained Gloucestershire 2nds in about half their games last season – so what sort of skipper is he?

“I believe I have good thoughts,” he said. “I try to plan ahead, I’m always thinking what might happen. It might not happen but if it does I can react.

“I try not to be over-aggressive but I like taking the positive option.

“I also believe in backing people, I try to give players confidence and give them the belief that they can fulfil their role on a Saturday. When I took over as captain I sent a message to every player outlining how I saw their role in the team.”

And it’s a style of captaincy that certainly worked last season as Frocester saw off the determined challenge of Goatacre to finish on top of the table and return to a division that they have won on three occasions in recent times.

The last time was in 2015 and while Naish would love to see Frocester back at the very top again, he is also aware that there’s more to club cricket than just winning titles.

“Before every team meeting and before every match I always say that the main thing is for everyone to play with a smile on their face and enjoy it,” he said. “You’ve got to enjoy playing with each other. Last season we did, we’d do anything for each other and the results were obvious.”

Naish wants more of the same in the new campaign, although if Gloucestershire come calling he admits he may not be able to play for Frocester all the time.

“I want to play for Gloucestershire as much as I can,” said Naish, who sees himself as an all-format cricketer. “I want to be knocking on the door to play first-team cricket. Gloucestershire have made it quite clear that they want to back their younger players.

“Quite a few players have left so there is more opportunity. I spent the winter training and playing cricket in South Africa, I’m really excited about the new season.”