ANY list of promotion hopefuls in the C Division West has to include Babbacombe despite their modest season in 2016.

Player-coach Andy Kingdon didn’t play a single C Division game last season after suffering a shoulder injury in a cup match the week before league action was due to start.

One player can make quite a difference when that player had scored 1,887 league runs in the previous three seasons.

Add in Andy McVeigh and Steve Lewis, both recruited from Barton, and Babbacombe looked decidedly stronger.

Lewis knows all about scoring runs at Walls Hill. He was part of the F Division promotion-winning team of 2012, cracking 610 runs at an average of 100.17.

Overseas star Jacob Hands – 517 runs in the side that won the E Division in 2013 – has also been reregistered for this season.

With former Torquay captain Mike Pugh and ex-Barton and Exmouth spinner Paul Bates still going strong, Babbacombe look strong on paper. Skipper Steve Broad says they have to do the business on grass.

“I see a number of sides in the first team division have strengthened during the winter, so I expect this year to be very competitive league.

“We have extra competition for places this year which, hopefully, will translate into performances on the pitch.

“It is nearly time for the cricket to do the talking now and hopefully we will compete this season.”