DROITWICH Spa Cricket Club’s pre-season preparations are off to a damp start after Saturday’s friendly at Feckenham was called off due to the hosts’ pitch being too wet.

Spa will try again to get out into the middle the following weekend when both firsts and seconds play warm-up games against Chaddesley Corbett before their Worcestershire League campaign begins on April 21.

Following relegation to Division Two the firsts open up away to Kempsey while the seconds, who were promoted as champions to Division One, welcome Harborne fourths to St Peter’s Fields.

Ian Cottrill, who took over the captaincy of the first team midway through last season, is looking forward to the summer’s action but is under no illusions about the task ahead.

“It will be tough to bounce back at the first time of asking but that’s got to be our aim nevertheless,” he said.

“All that I will be asking of my team is that together we give 100 per cent, back each other, play each game in the right spirit and with smiles on our faces.”

Droitwich’s thirds and fourths teams, who are in Divisions Five and Seven respectively, start their competitive fixtures on April 28 and May 5. Spa will field a Sunday side too.

The club’s thriving youth section field 13 junior sides for boys and girls from the ages of nine to 17 and will once again play host to the ECB’s All Stars Programme for eight successive Fridays from May 11.

Players interested in joining Spa can contact head of senior cricket Jez Hanson on 07701 355716 or head of junior cricket Mike Wallis on 07704 860600.