Stratford skipper Brown targets instant return

STRATFORD skipper Mike Brown says the club are targeting promotion this summer after admitting they let themselves down last season.

The Panthers fell to a final-day defeat to Coventry and NW, a result that saw them relegated back to Birmingham Premier League Division Three at the first time of asking.

Now the club are targeting an instant return to Division Two and their campaign begins this Saturday with a tough game at Astwood Bank.

“We’re looking to bounce straight back up,” said Brown.

“We feel we let ourselves down last year and as a team we shouldn’t have gone down.

“At key times we didn’t perform as well as we can do. We beat four of the top five last season though, so we showed we were more than capable at that level.

“It has to be our goal to go straight back up, but it’s not going to be easy, as it’s a tough league with a lot of teams that we don’t know much about.”

Stratford lacked the benefit of an all-rounder at times last season and they have attempted to rectify this with the signings of Adam Bayliss and Chris Whelan.

Bayliss, son of England head coach Trevor Bayliss, is a top order bat and seam bowler, who plays Grade cricket for Penrith District.

Whelan returns to the club after a two-year absence and will add plenty of experience, having played for both Middlesex and Worcestershire.

Youngster Archie Walker also steps up from the second team, having won the club’s young player of the season award last year. The 18-year-old will make his first-team debut against Astwood Bank.

Stratford: David Bailey, Adam Bayliss, Mike Brown (c), Chris Calcott (wk), Perry Derrick, John Price, Jake Salmon, Archie Walker, Rob West, Chris Whelan, Aidy Witts.