James Ayles

Skelmersdale Cricket Club are looking up after going down last season. The first-team were relegated to Liverpool and District division two after a tough season which saw them field many youth players in their senior sides.

For a club with royal connections, London’s Spencer CC is determined to make sure the sport remains open for all. The team forms part of Spencer Club, which also has hockey, lacrosse and tennis sections, and is named after Princess Diana’s great grand uncle Earl Spencer, who gave land on Wandsworth Common to the founders in 1873.

When club chairman Brian Kenworthy joined Henley Cricket Club in 1984, the Oxfordshire outfit had just one team and played no league cricket.

Eeastbourne Cricket Club are looking to the past to inspire the future. A young Eastbourne side stormed to National Cup victory in 1997, and many of that team helped the Sussex side to the final again in 2000.

Bournemouth CC are a club on a mission this year – aiming to regain their place at the top table.

After biding their time in Southern Premier League Division 3, Gosport Borough CC are hoping their homegrown stars can help the club start progressing on the field.

At 157 years old, Cannock Cricket Club has plenty of history. Yet in any discussion about the Warwickshire club, long-serving club secretary Graham Machin admits that one name dominates the discussion. Cannock’s run to the Birmingham & District Premier Cricket League Premier Division title in 2000 featured a young overseas player who would go on to make a big name for himself elsewhere.