Louis Gegg has packed a lot of cricket into his 33 years.

He knows the game, he enjoys the game and he wants the best for his club, which these days is Stroud Cricket Club.

He joined them three seasons ago, took over as captain halfway through his first season and is again preparing to lead the club in Premier Two Glos/Wilts of the West of England Premier League.

“I love it,” he said. “We’re a really young side, barring me! We’re stronger than we were last season and with the Job brothers James and Chris hoping to be available a lot more this season, things are very positive.”

Gegg will probably bat at five this season to give the youngsters who so impress him more opportunities.

“I think you can still control a game at five if you have to, I’ll do whatever is required,” said Gegg.

“I opened a few times last season but I’ll try to avoid that as much as possible, I want to give other guys a go.

“We’ve had two seasons in this division now, we’ve found our level and I really think we can compete.

“There are obviously some very good sides, we’re far from favourites – we could still have been relegated with two or three weeks to go last season – but we want to show what we can do.”

Stroud finished seventh in the 10-strong division last time out and Gegg’s enthusiasm is understandable.

For a start he will have the backing of three of his brothers – Callum, Angus and Ewan – who are all likely to be major players this season.

Callum will open the batting and keep wicket, Ewan, who can keep, will open or bat at three, while Angus is an opening bowler.

But it’s not just the Gegg brothers who will be key players, there are others such as Taylor Ireland and Ollie Whiteley, who has joined from Marlborough, while the likes of Lewis Culver and Jamie Lomax are also coming through.

“The great thing is that all the players except for Ollie are within a five-mile catchment area of the club,” said Gegg.

“That’s massive, they’re committed to the club. They’ll see the club through any hard times, it’s brilliant where the club are at the moment.”

Gegg is most certainly all about the club, not just the club’s flagship team, although that is obviously very important.

“The club are in a good place at the moment,” he said. “The chairman James Collins drives it really well, he’s absolute magic. He likes the club, he likes the way we are set up, he likes the atmosphere.

“We’ve got a really good 1st XI coach in Brad Dial, the youth coach Ross Martin is great  and we’ve got a great committee.

“The under-19s are doing really well too. From barely existing three years ago to now competing in the Gloucestershire Performance League is an amazing testament to where the club is headed.

“We’ve also got a brilliant head of youth cricket in Vicky Culver.

“We’ve invested a lot in the club and it’s certainly paying off.”