HEREFORDSHIRE club captain Chris Boroughs is hoping his squad will remain injury-free next season.
The county were hampered by a host of injuries and a lack of availabilities last summer.
Herefordshire recorded one win in their Minor Counties Championship Western Division campaign and finished second-bottom.
They beat Cornwall at Truro by seven wickets in a rain-hit match reduced to one innings each side.
Herefordshire also achieved one win - the nine-wicket success over Wiltshire at Kington - in their MCCA Trophy Group 3 programme.
“Our championship campaign was hampered by player unavailabilities and we struggled to field a balanced side for the majority of games,” said Boroughs, who is celebrating the birth of his first child, Mathew Thomas.
“This led to extra work loads for Simon Roberts, in particular. There was extra pressure on our batsmen and they fell short of the required standard. Henry Langford showed his potential - but got little support from the other batsmen.”
The Brockhampton all-rounder said the bright spot of the season was Herefordshire’s victory over Cornwall in a rain-hit match.
“Our victory over Cornwall in a shortened game was the highlight after we had bounced back from a heavy defeat against Dorset which was the poorest display since I took over the captaincy,” said Boroughs.
“We will have the same group of players and if we can make a few additions, we will be able to compete against the other counties. We also need better fortune with the availability of players,” he said.
Boroughs remained upbeat about the county club’s future.
“I think the signs are there - and in three to four years’ time, there will be more players coming through. Ideally, we want people knocking on the door immediately. The belief is that, with the club sides in Herefordshire coming through the pyramid system, the 16 and 17-year-old lads are now playing at a higher level on a Saturday. That should, ultimately, be good for us.”
Gwynne Jones, chairman of the cricket selection sub-committee, said the county had used 21 players last season.
“We were missing key players and we used 21 players in all and this was not conducive to playing a settled team. “Chris has been an outstanding captain for several years and it takes a strong character to cope with the disappointment over the past few seasons.
“Clubs in Herefordshire are improving and working their way up the pyramid. I don’t think that it’s mainly down to the players produced in this county. We have not had any players from the county going into first-class cricket in the past eight or nine years.”
