CALLINGTON all-rounder Aidan Libby admits he’s ‘really pleased’ having returned as first team captain following their recent annual general meeting at Moores Park.

The 34-year-old, who joined the Greens from Looe ahead of the 2009 season, has seen it all at the club having experienced numerous promotions and relegations as well as twice winning the Hawkey Cup.

He will work alongside his great friend and director of cricket Joe White as they look to get themselves back towards the top of the ECB Cornwall Premier League table following a disappointing 2025 where the Greens ended up nearly in a relegation scrap having won the Hawkey Cup and finished second in the league the year before.

A delighted Libby said: “I’m really pleased to be back captaining Callington, a club that means so much to me having been there for 16 seasons.

“It’s great to be working closely with Joe and there’s so much positive work being done throughout the club to get the club into the position it is currently, so I’m looking forward to adding to that.

“We have a great squad for the coming season filled with vast experience and some raw exciting young talent which gives a great energy throughout the club. So it’s exciting to see what we can achieve in 2026.”

As well as Libby returning to a role he previously held between 2015 and 2018 – there is continuity for the rest of the men’s teams as Rich Brown and Tom Neville remain in their respective captaincy roles.

Brown will be tasked with bringing through their impressive youngsters and launch a promotion bid from Division Two East, as will Neville from Division Four.

Getting acclimatised with their new ground at Gunnislake will be important.

Reflecting on the AGM, White said: “It was great to see such a strong turnout and positive engagement from members.

“There is a real buzz around the club at the moment. We are hopeful that this positive feeling will translate into a successful year for us both on and off the pitch.

“I’m absolutely delighted with the appointment of Aidan as first team captain. To have a local player with such a wealth of experience leading the side is a real positive for the club. Aidan understands Callington inside out and has a very strong tactical mind, which will be invaluable on and off the field.

“With Max Waller as head coach and former Gloucestershire captain Chris Dent in the squad, Aidan also has a huge amount of professional experience around him to lean on for support and advice.

“But Aidan’s always played his best cricket and scored a lot of runs when he is captain, and I am really excited to see him back scoring plenty of runs and taking important wickets for us.”

As for the other teams, White continued: “It is also fantastic that Rich and Tom are continuing in their roles. Our second XI is extremely strong and full of young talent that we want to develop and feed into the firsts, and Rich has the important job of giving those players key roles to help maximise their potential.

“Following relegation for the third XI, we are hopeful that Tom can guide them back into Division Three, while also continuing to provide opportunities for our younger players to gain valuable experience while ensuring our senior guys are getting game time.”