THE Tolchards Devon Cricket League Media Team has welcomed a new addition this season as we endeavour to widen the scope of our competition coverage. Meet Ollie Smith, who has put together this profile to introduce himself to website readers.

“I first picked up a bat at eight years old, joining the same club as my brother. I played through the age groups at Ivybridge before turning out for the 3rd and Sunday XIs, often picking up the coloured pens and scoring, though, meaning I have been listed as an official for two different cup finals (the team I was scoring for has lost both). Since then, my cricketing journey has taken me to Chelston & Kingskerswell and, more recently, to Torquay & Kingskerswell, where I’ve remained closely involved both on and off the field. 
At Chelston & Kingskerswell, I stepped into coaching the junior section –- a role I began during my time at Ivybridge – and I’ve continued that work following the club’s merger with Torquay. At 19, I took on the role of club secretary at Chelston & Kingskerswell and have continued in this role post-merger. 
My Saturday evenings and Sunday mornings are often spent ‘badgering’ on Play-Cricket, something I expect to do in this role too. I love scanning through scorecards, looking for stand-out performances, or simply keeping up with friends and familiar faces, who are far better than I am. 
I studied Journalism at the University of Gloucestershire, where I had some amazing opportunities to cover live sport, but cricket was always the sport that I enjoyed the most. In the summer of 2023, I crossed the Tamar to report on Cornwall CCC’s impressive campaign, during which they won the three-day Western Division Championship and finished runners-up in the National Counties Twenty-20 competition.”