By CONRAD SUTCLIFFE

FORMER Bradninch captain Tim Piper has been appointed the new skipper of Premier side Exmouth.

Piper had two stints as Bradninch skipper: the first between 2013-2014 and again in 2016, when he led them to promotion back into the Premier Division of the Tolchards Devon Cricket League.

During both his terms at Bradninch captain, Piper was never afraid to speak his mind about opposing sides… or his own! He left Kensham Park during the 2019 season in search of Premier cricket with Exmouth.

Piper replaces another Bradninch old boy, Andrew Buzza, who stood down after two seasons in the post.

Buzza will carry on playing, but business commitments make it tough captaining the side as well.

“My coaching business is getting bigger and takes up more of my time and it's what I want to keep focusing on,” said Buzza.

New captain Piper has played Premier cricket for Torquay and Bradninch in the past. Buzza is believes he is the right man to replace him.

“Tim is as an experienced player and will do a great job,” said Buzza. “I think it will be a great opportunity for him to be seen in a different light.”

Buzza wasn’t a huge fan of the four-divisions-per-tier format picked by the Devon League to get games played this year. He would have preferred a T20 competition with the accent on youth.

What Buzza did was make the best of what was on offer to broaden the experience of teenagers such as opening batsman James Horler.

Horler scored 302 league runs at an average of 100.67 in Exmouth’s league games – good shooting by anyone’s standards.

The compact left-hander would have been one of the players Buzza was thinking of when he said: “The positives are that young players got the opportunity to play in both teams this year, which will only promote their development and growth.”

Buzza added: “Lots of lessons were learnt on and off the field that will only make the club stronger for the future.”