By CONRAD SUTCLIFFE

SANDFORD’S close-season recruitment drive shows no signs of slowing down as skipper Richard Foan has made yet another signing.

Former Exmouth captain Andy Buzza is the latest player to put pen to paper with Sandford for the season ahead.

Foan said Buzza might not be around every week due to his work as a cricket coach, but will be a useful addition to the squad.

“Andrew has a lot of coaching commitments – and young family – so it is difficult to know how much he will be available,” said Foan.

“Hopefully he plays a few games for us and will get the bug for it as he can be very handy with bat and ball.”

It was through Buzza’s coaching work – he has his own indoor centre near Cullompton – that the link-up with Sandford was made.

“We have been netting at Andrew’s indoor centre and he has enjoyed being around the lads,” said Foan.

“It will be great to have Andrew coaching around the club. With Jackson Thompson already joined, and Sandy Allen already here, we are definitely blessed in that department.”

Thompson, the former Gloucestershire and Middlesex player who has been a professional in Devon for nearly a decade, joined Sandford from Cornwood early in the close season.

Other new faces at Creedy Park signed-up for a Premier push in 2022 include all-rounder Jack Ford (Bideford), batters Jacob Griffiths (Chagford) and Ciarian Gray (Cornwood), current Zimbabwean international Donald Tiripano and the Morgan-Huggett twins, Tyler and Tudor.

The Morgan-Huggett twins have been registered permanently having featured as guests during the 2019 Covid season. Both played for Chepstow in the South Wales Premier League 2nd XI Division last season

Additionally, prolific run-getter Jon James has switched from nearby Shobrooke Park, although he is likely to feature more as a mentor in lower teams.

Buzza, 31, started out in Exmouth’s 2^ndXI as a 16 year old back in 2006 and was an established first-teamer by the following summer. He went through the Devon age-group system up to the age of 21.

Midway through the 2015 season Buzza left Exmouth for Bradninch. He was a member of the team that won promotion from the A Division in 2016 under Gary Chappell.

The Ninch were unable to stay in the top flight more than a season and dropped back to the A Division in 2017.

Buzza left Bradninch after 38 games to return to Exmouth for the 2018 season with respectable stats of 528 league runs at 28.84 and 35 wickets at around 27 runs each.

Exmouth needed a 1^stXI captain in 2019 after Richard Baggs stepped down the previous summer and turned to Buzza, who led the side for two terms before handing over to Tim Piper.

During Buzza’s two spells with Exmouth he played 147 first-team games and scored more than 2,100 runs at an average touching 20. He also took 76 wickets at a fraction over 31 runs each with a career best of five for 20 against Plymouth in 2008.