WADEBRIDGE Cricket Club first team captain Kelvin Snell heads into his second season in charge with the Swans again amongst the favourites for silverware across all competitions.

Last summer could scarcely have gone better for the North Cornwall outfit as they secured the Hawkey Cup and WT Edwards Cup T20 titles – the latter for the first time in their history, as well as finishing as runners-up to Penzance in the ECB Cornwall Premier League.

While it’ll be hard to match and even surpass those heights, Wadebridge look a good bet to be in the latter stages of all the competitions.

From last year’s first team squad, nobody has left, including Australian Lachlan Crump who returns as a UK passport holder, while an already strong pace attack has been given a further boost by the arrival of New Zealander Ryan Jackson who was recently voted club cricketer of the year in Wellington.

With a nice blend of experience and promising youth, anybody who betters the Swans will have to be at their best, and Snell hopes they can hit the ground running in the league when they welcome Redruth to the Riverside tomorrow (1pm).

Wadebridge were also in action last Sunday in the ECB National Club Championship and eased to an eight-wicket victory at Exmouth, a result which set up a tie at Bridgwater on May 10.

Snell said: “Pre-season was like normal for us, we aren’t the best club for training in the winter to be honest, but the boys have started coming together the last three or four weeks and we look to be in pretty good shape now.

“As for us as a side, we are pretty much the same as before, Lachlan returns in the hope that now he has a season under his belt he can press forward and express himself even more than previous and make us a even stronger batting unit!

“We have picked up Ryan Jackson from Wainuimata in Wellington through a contact I had when I was over there a few years back. We look forward to seeing him settle in to our team as the season goes on!

“Apart from that we will be picking from a squad of 14 seasoned campaigners to help us hopefully be successful once again.”

With plenty of money floating around the Duchy’s top-flight, all clubs have been busy trying to better themselves, and Snell expects a fiercely-contested summer.

He said: “I don’t tend to look too deeply into other teams and what not, but from what I have heard, the majority of the league has strengthened considerably, so what I’m expecting is pretty much the same as previous seasons where every game will be a challenge in its own right.

“We will focus on ourselves though and try and be a bit more consistent, because if there is a negative about us then it is that we slip up in games that we should be winning, but that probably goes back to my previous comment that the league is strong and on the day anyone could beat anyone.”

As well as the first team, Wadebridge run two other men’s teams, ladies teams in both hardball and softball cricket and a healthy juniors’ section.

The seconds will be amongst the favourites to go up from Division Two East under Paul Menhenick, while Leigh Charles has taken on the thirds from Andrew Tinker with the team now up in Division Four, the highest level they have reached.

Snell continued: “The seconds remain a tight-knit group and the addition of Ryan Pooley from St Minver and Richard Atkinson from Taunton will make them a top three team in that league for sure, while the thirds will be the side that brings on a mixture of youth sprinkled with the experience of the elderly gentleman. But they will still play some tough cricket and will learn a lot as the season goes on.”

It’s a hectic weekend for the club.

While the firsts host Redruth, the seconds visit their relegated St Austell counterparts and the thirds visit Gorran – the side they pipped to the title last summer.

Then on Monday a big crowd is expected at the club as Cornwall take on Wales in the NCCA Trophy.

Play gets underway at Egloshayle Park at 11am.