MONMOUTH Cricket Club will be opening their new competitive season at Bromyard this Sunday (28th April) in the GB Liners Marches Sunday League.

New Sunday captain Liam Stubbs will be assembling a youthful team, including Monmouth Comprehensive School pupils Ella Smith and Louis MacFarlane.

Liam has been organising after-school cricket training with the pupils over the winter and some will be making their debuts at Flaggoners Green.

Monmouth, an ECB Clubmark-accredited club, will certainly be looking to blood young players in junior and senior cricket.

The club put up a good display in a narrow six-run defeat last Saturday (20th April) in their first warm-up match of 2013, against Monmouth School.

Richard Shaw took 3-18 to restrict Monmouth School to 166-8.

The returning Wayne Etheridge then hit 50 and Matthew Jones 38 as the town visitors finished on 160-7 from their 40 overs.

First-team captain Paul Swingwood has been very impressed with newcomer Charles Griffin, a fast bowler who goes to Eton College, and the enthusiasm of Shaw, who had a spell in Australia over the winter, and Dan Risk.

He was also delighted to see the return of opener Etheridge and Tej Saran.

Swingwood will be backed up by new vice-captain Ben Turner in Monmouth's Thomas, Carroll Glamorgan and Monmouthshire League Division Three campaign.

Swingwood's men will start their league season at Llantwit Fardre on Saturday 4th May with Monmouth's second team hosting Llantwit Fardre Seconds.

Monmouth will also be involved in knockout competitions – they travel to Ponthir on Friday 10th May in the preliminary round of the Macey Cup competition.

And Monmouth,  sponsored by JD Wetherspoon, will host rivals Chepstow in the second round of the Gwalia Welsh Cup on Sunday 19th May.

Meanwhile, Monmouth are delighted that youth players Ben Davies, Sam Swingwood and Harry Hughes have been picked to represent Gwent Young Cricketers.

They all played well for Monmouth last summer and the club will be hosting several Gwent age-group fixtures against Herefordshire during the season.

Monmouth will be running junior teams at under-9, under-11, under-13 and under-15 levels.

There are also plans for a girls' team, led by Tracy Hodgson, and lots of promising players shone at the winter indoor junior sessions which featured new coaches James Endicott and Phil Henshall.

The signing-on session for all juniors who are keen to train and play for the club this summer will take place at Monmouth Sports Ground on Wednesday 1st May at 6pm.

For more details about Saturday and midweek senior cricket, call Paul Swingwood on 07526925396 or email [email protected]">[email protected]; Sunday senior cricket, Liam Stubbs email [email protected]">[email protected]; girls cricket Tracy Hodgson, on 07702351331 or email [email protected]">[email protected]; and general junior cricket enquiries, Jon Despontin on 07966015609 or email [email protected]">[email protected]