JACK Howarth has been appointed as Newquay Cricket Club’s first team captain for a second time following their annual general meeting.

The bowling all-rounder takes over from Joe Crane having led the coastal club back in 2022, and the club aren’t shy in expecting to compete towards the top end of County Division One with new faces and returning players in the pipeline.

Howarth’s deputy will be middle-order batsman Callan Jenkin, who has taken on the role of leading the reformed ladies’ softball side. Second team captain Tom Rhodes is the new vice-chairman.

Howarth, who usually opens the bowling, will hope to form a potent new ball partnership with New Zealander Jack Crichton, who plays for Kumeu in Auckland Premier Cricket.

The UK passport holder has designs on going far in the game and is also a NZC-accredited coach, meaning he’ll be on hand to help Newquay’s ever-growing youth section.

Aussie Toby Chillingworth - who took 33 league wickets with his left-arm spin and made 368 runs last summer - is returning for a second season as the overseas player, while Sri Lankan Thivanka Karunarathne who turned out for Cullompton last summer in the B Division of the Devon Cricket League, has moved to the area and signed on, as has seamer Glenn Burgess who has featured in the Northants Premier League.

Howarth admits he’s excited to be back in charge and by what his overseas duo can bring.

He said: “I’m really happy to be taking over the captaincy again! I managed to achieve what I wanted to achieve in my previous stint and that was keeping us competitive and remaining in the division in a tough year for the club. This time around with better experience and higher calibre of players, it’s a really exciting time.

“We’re also really happy to have managed to get Chilli back over again and hopefully he carries on where he left off last season.

“He’s a valuable spinner for us and manages to build pressure after the opening bowlers. I’m also very eager to see Jack take the new ball for us and hopefully pick up a few wickets alongside myself.”

With just ten teams in the division, the standard is likely to get better, a fact not lost on Howarth.

He said: “I believe this County One season will be as competitive as it has probably ever been, with every team potentially, able to beat anyone.

“On the whole, I really believe we’re going to be able to use our lessons which we learnt from last season and the season before to really build and be as competitive as we can and win the games where we haven’t been able to before!

“We’ll aim to start the season with strong foundations and maintain it throughout the year to finish as high as possible in the table.”

Howarth is also determined to give youth a chance, adding: “It’s exciting to have Alfie Rhodes breaking into the first team environment and I’m very excited to be working with him in the winter to ensure that he can kick on through the summer and really cement his place with bat and ball.

“We also have a few more young lads eager to develop their cricket which is really promising and hopefully I’m able to give them their debuts, just like when I was given the opportunity when I was 17/18.”

The club have also announced three dates for winter nets at the Treviglas Hub in the town.

These are on Sundays on January 26, February 23 and March 16.

For anyone wishing to get involved in the club, email [email protected]