ST AUSTELL skipper Alex Bone hopes all of their four men’s sides to be competing at the top end of their divisions when the Cornwall Cricket League season gets underway on Saturday, May 2.

The first team finished fourth in last year’s ECB Cornwall Premier League, and with four new signings to boot, will look to kick on, while the seconds and thirds will look to bounce back from relegations in Division Two and Division Three East respectively.

Bone has replaced Sri Lankan opening batsman Thevindu Dickwella with countryman Nadeera Balasooriya, who looks set to bat at four and bowl some tidy off-spin. They have also utilised the UK passport route with South African opening batsman Rowen Taplin and batting all-rounder Gianluca Luongo both making the move to Wheal Eliza.

Fast bowler Conway Gilbert should also be around, particularly later in the season, giving Bone plenty of options as they look to close the gap to champions Penzance.

Bone said: “We’ve all had a nice break and now we’re ready to hit the ground running, starting with this weekend’s friendly at Grampound Road, then we have a midweek friendly before we get started properly.

“The aim is hopefully for all four teams to be competing around the top of the table and, hopefully, we can pick up some silverware along the way.”

Bone, who is also the Cornwall wicket-keeper, believes building bigger totals will be the recipe for further success.

He said: “I think we were much better than fourth on our day, but unfortunately we failed to score enough runs consistently. I think we have an exceptional bowling attack and won’t lose many games if we get 200-plus, so I think that is key.

“Another thing I’m a big believer in is having a big squad as throughout the year we will always miss a player or two for a holiday or work commitments.

“We have brought in an opening batter in Taplin and a powerhouse in the middle order that’s Gian, while Nadeera’s just got 130 for his First Class side.

“We will also be expecting Conway to feature for 10 to 12 games this season, so he will add strength in all three departments.”

So what does Bone expect from his rivals?

He continued: “The league looks really good this year. Everyone has made some solid signings and it’s going to be exciting!

“I think there will be twists and turns, but if you can win every game at home, I think you’ll be close to the top, if not winning it.”

St Austell’s strength in-depth could be key with three or four players set to drop down from each team. And with a promising youth section bringing through the next generation, the signs are that results should follow throughout the club.

Bone concluded: “We’ve signed lots of promising talented young players this year, so it’s going to be great to see how these new young players and our existing youngsters really push on.

“The club is in a fantastic place, we just need to have the right foundation for them to flourish into fantastic players who will hopefully play for Cornwall and push into the professional game.”

St Austell’s first team start their Premier campaign at Helston next Saturday (1pm), while the seconds - once again led by Tom Rosevear - entertain their Wadebridge counterparts.

The thirds face a tricky test at Saltash in Division Three East, while the fourths host neighbours St Stephen Seconds.