SHOBROOKE Park get the new season started with a home game against fancied Ivybridge.

The Bridge are generally there or thereabouts for most of the season and in Sri Lankan Jeewan de Silva have the stand-out all-rounder in the division following the retirement of South Devon’s Neil Hancock.

Kelvin Trent is the new captain at Ivybridge, taking over from Gareth Andrews.

Chris Simpson is skippering Shobrooke’s side for a second season and has no illusions how tough it is going to be.

“We are looking to stay up at the moment, maybe we will reassess half way through the season when we see how we are travelling,” said Simpson.

“Ivybridge will be tough first game as I can see them being in the promotion race.”

Shobrooke’s new overseas player is Jacques Budricks, a South African from Eastern Province who takes the new ball and bats first or second wicket down.

Shobrooke have also signed Dan Robins, an all-rounder with representative experience with the Royal Navy, who should be available by the halfway stage.

Robins has looked decent in pre-season games, but an unexpected posting to a ship has ruled him out for a month or so.

Simpson has high hopes of seamers James Bevan and Tom Youngman kicking on in 2016 having benefited from encouraging debut seasons last summer.