LOSING players to weddings and stag events is always a big problem for any cricket side and Kington have been hit hard, losing their captain Simon Turner due to the ‘wedding season’.

“Unfortunately Simon has a number of weddings and stag dos to attend this summer,” explained Kington’s new captain Bryan Kirkham.

"So he felt he couldn’t fulfil the role as he would miss so many of the games this season.

"It’s a big loss; he’s been a great captain and a great player for us so he will be sorely missed”.

However, in Kirkham, Kington may have found an ideal replacement, three wickets and a handy 21 last weekend proving his ability as a player, as well as having the passion to succeed despite not initially wanting to take on the role.

“Initially, I didn’t want to take it but as no-one stepped forward I had a bit of a re-think and decided to step up and help out the club.

"I’ve really enjoyed it so far and the lads have been brilliant, really supportive and I couldn’t have asked anymore of the effort that they have shown so far.”

Kirkham is targeting a top six finish for the team this year.

“Last season we had to win the last four games to stand a chance of staying in this division and thankfully we did that but I don’t want to be in that boat again," he said.

"If we could consolidate a safe mid-table position then it would very much be job done for us this year and set a platform for us to build on for the next couple of seasons.”