CAN Bradninch & Kentisbeare complete a hat-trick of Premier Division title wins in 2026? Here skipper Gary Chappell assesses his team’s prospects 

Winter recruitment has gone well with some talented youngsters joining the club:  Freddie Cockram (Exeter), Lihan Laubscher (New Milton) and Ethan Brenton (Exmouth) are all great lads looking for opportunities and will all play a part in the 1st XI this summer. 

Mahir Choksi from Exeter Uni will also be with us early season after impressing in a friendly. Ross Acton won't be around much due to the very premature birth of his daughter and we wish them all the best and hope they're able to get her home safe and sound soon.  Kent and Wubbeling aren't playing this summer either, so Tim Piper will take the gloves. 

Outstanding

As for game one, Hunain Shah is unlikely to arrive until week two due to his PSL commitments where he's been an outstanding performer. We are very excited for his arrival after seeing what he's been doing on TV. 

Theo Lamey is available which is great news. Even without Hunain we'll be fielding a strong side against a no doubt motivated Tavistock who have signed some good players and look like they'll compete very well this season. 

We have a few club goals this season with the future in mind. Ultimately, we want to compete at the top and retain the title. A lot of unknowns at this stage on how teams shape up, the impact of overseas players, and there's always surprise packages.

I have full confidence in the lads after what's been an amazing five years. We're aware it won't last forever as these things always work in cycles, but we have a nice mix of youth and experience and a deep squad which is needed to win leagues with inevitable injuries and availability issues. 

Other clubs and players are improving and a bit of luck is always needed in a competitive league where lots of teams will fancy their chances. 

Let's see how things go and hope the sun shines and we can enjoy some good games of cricket.