One-time Gloucestershire all-rounder David Partridge has been appointed to take the helm at Cheltenham Cricket Club, a club with whom he has enjoyed a long association.

Partridge, who was a member of Gloucestershire’s 1977 Benson and Hedges Cup final-winning team, was voted in as chairman at the club’s annual meeting at the end of last week.

“They’re a club very dear to my heart,” Partridge told The Local Answer. “I went to Cheltenham Cricket Club when I was 17 in 1972, I was still at school. They gave me the opportunity to learn and play the game.”

And he was clearly given a very good grounding because he went on to play for Gloucestershire from 1976 to 1980. But although he was away from Cheltenham for a good while, he always retained a great affection for the club.

“I came back in the 1990s,” he continued. “I played a bit and also coached the youngsters with a key success at the time of getting the junior section re-established.”

That second spell lasted 14 years up until 2008 and now Partridge is looking forward to returning to the Victoria Ground on a regular basis once again.

“It was put to me about taking on the role in November last year,” he said. “I put a lot of time back into the club when I was last here, now I’m going to put in even more!”

Last year was a story of mixed fortunes across the club on the field. The men’s 1st team had an inconsistent campaign, finishing mid-table in the West of England Premier Two Glos/Wilts Division.

They have played in Premier One in the recent past and although a return to the top flight would be very welcome, that is certainly not the only thing that Partridge is focused on.

There will be new captains for all four of the men’s teams – Liam Walker (1sts), Stef Hunt (2nds), Matt Baker (3rds) and Mohammed Ur Rahman (Midweek) – and Partridge said: “We have four fantastic people who have the respect of the players and that drive, ambition and cricket knowledge to lead us forward on all fronts.

“Our women’s and girls’ cricket also goes from strength to strength with last season proving to be a breakthrough year, with our women’s’ hardball team winning the CDCA Cain & Fuller women’s League for the first time.

“Our hugely successful girls’ teams were Under-11 Girls’ County Blast champions and Under-13 County League runners-up.

“My goal is to improve each part of Cheltenham Cricket Club – the ground, the bar, the facilities, and the cricket.

“We’ve got some fantastic sponsors, but we are always looking for new opportunities, as running a successful club relies on the generous support that will help build on the good work that has already been done.

“I want to create a cricket club that can be welcoming and competitive, just as it was when I joined in 1972.”

Partridge was lucky enough to play alongside two greats of the game during his time with Gloucestershire – Mike Procter and Zaheer Abbas – so he clearly knows his cricket. And he’s ready to support the club’s director of cricket, Luke Sellers, in any way he can.

“He’s a top chap and a top coach,” said Partridge. “He knows the game. I see my role as trying to build the player base in every squad.”

Partridge, who stepped down from Gloucestershire’s executive board a couple of years ago, added: “The goal for me is to make sure we are sustainable, to make sure young players are coming through.

“We’re trying to produce home-grown players for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club. Richard Dawson’s mantra when he was head coach at Gloucestershire was that we are producing cricketers for England; these are ambitions that will not harm us as a club.”

Partridge has taken over the role of chairman from Geoff Trett, who was serving on an interim basis. Trett will now operate as the club’s vice-chairman and, like Partridge, certainly has the best interests of the club at heart.

“We need to create an opportunity for people to play cricket,” said Partridge, who has put no limit on his time as chairman. “The more people involved in the game the better.

“To help us achieve our goals, the club are on the lookout for new players to join us. We regularly field three men’s sides on a Saturday along with a Midweek and a Sunday XI that play in the Gloucestershire County Cup and WEPL T20 Cup.

“The 1^st XI men’s side plays in the West of England Premier Cricket League Premier Two Glos/Wilts, whilst the 2^nd and 3^rd teams play in the Gloucestershire County Cricket League in divisions two and six respectively and will be aiming for promotion this season.

“For women we also have three squads and always welcome new players, from those who are new to cricket through to those who have not played for some years!

“We play as part of a softball league and for hardball we will continue to play in the CDCA Cain & Fuller T20 league. For the first time we have joined the GCF 35-over League.”

For more information, visit https://www.cheltenhamcc.co.uk/