With thanks to Tom Evans @ Merseyside Cricket Online (merseysidecricket.com can be supported @ https://buymeacoffee.com/tomevanscricket)
Johansen keen to showcase local talent as Colwyn Bay return to the top flight
Colwyn Bay are once again flying the flag for Wales in the Premier Division of the Love Lane Liverpool Competition.
George Johansen’s side pipped Firwood Bootle to the Division One title last year and earned a shot at stabilising in the top flight after a yo-yo few years.
Now the skipper wants to show the rest of the Comp what North Wales has to offer.
He said: “We’ve got some young lads coming through, so it’s good to get some local talent involved and see what they can do.
“I’m proud that Colwyn Bay are in such a strong league.
“I think it’s a good thing, I certainly view it as that.
“But the North Wales league are also very proud of keeping their homegrown talent in their league, so there is a bit of a divide in that sense.”
Sri Lankan spinner Dulanjana Mendis returns after leading last season’s promotion charge with 83 wickets.
And young seam bowling all-rounder Charlie Collins, part of the North Wales county set-up, arrives from Northop.
Last season’s top scorer, Will Evans, has returned to Mochdre, and veteran left-arm spinner Paul Jenkins will be playing for Northop Hall in Division Two.
But with the likes of Zack Gidlow and Sion Morris keen to improve on their showing in 2023, when Bay made an instant return to Division One, Johansen is confident in his squad’s quality.
“We have lost a few players over the winter,” the skipper added.
“But it’s an opportunity for other people.”
As for whether his players can arrest the yo-yo trend this year, Johansen is more concerned with them doing themselves proud on the pitch.
Firwood Bootle heading in the right direction, says skipper Patel
Shaneil Patel believes his Firwood Bootle side are on the right track as they prepare to return to the top flight.
Promotion last season ended a spell of three years in Division One, following their first ever relegation in 2021.
That the drop came at the first attempt after securing a 16th league title – three more than the next best – made it all the more shocking.
Patel, who took over as skipper in 2023, knows there is a long way to go to bring back the glory days.
But he believes the project to rebuild the club’s culture is already reaping rewards.
He said: “We’re probably ahead of schedule. We’ve got juniors coming through who will hopefully be pushing for 1st XI spots this year, which is a real positive.
“We’re concentrating internally on our processes, our culture and it’s going brilliantly.
“Everyone is on board. Expectations are there, they always have been and always will be.
“And at some point, if we keep going in the direction we’re going at the moment, we’ll be able to fulfill those expectations.
“But we just need to concentrate on ourselves, make sure that we’re recruiting people who are buying into the culture, and if they don’t fit then that’s fine and we move on.”
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Patel did not see many gaps in his promotion-clinching side, who remained unbeaten in the league until September.
South African Hermann Rolfes, one of Division One’s best players last season, will not be back – instead, Bootle have snapped up his compatriot Ivan Kriek, fresh from helping Rainford to third place.
Wicketkeeper Kris Ali arrives from Liverpool after a breakthrough 2024, but apart from that there are no new arrivals at Wadham Road.
Spectators will need to have their wits about them – naturalised Indian all-rounder Sagar Trivedi’s 30 sixes last season were the league’s highest.
“We’re excited to see how we can showcase everyone’s abilities,” Patel added.
“We’ve got lads who’ve played in Premier Leagues in different counties so there’s a lot of experience there, but we’re not focusing on any other team apart from ourselves.
“We know we’ve got one of the strongest seam attacks around and we’ve got some very good batters too.
“There’s a lot of quality there with the likes of Sagar, and Ivan coming in, and we’re very hopeful it will be a decent year.”
What counts as “decent” is not something Patel is ready to commit to yet.
Instead, he just wants to focus on making sure his players do themselves justice.
He said: “We’re focused on ourselves, which I’ve always done since I’ve been captain.
“The main aim for the season is to win as many games as we can and showcase how good a side we are.
“Results will speak for themselves – if we’re playing proper cricket, then we can beat anyone.
“We’ll concentrate on that, see what happens this year then build on that the following year. “We don’t want to look too far ahead, we’re just looking forward to the first game.”
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With thanks to Tom Evans @ Merseyside Cricket Online (merseysidecricket.com can be supported @ https://buymeacoffee.com/tomevanscricket)
