With the first weekend a washout because of 'Storm Hannah', a resurgent Whitchurch Cricket Club are looking for the challenges of playing Shropshire cricket once more.

The Heath Road club returned to the county league after a season in the Birmingham League, after a restructuring that saw a number of sides make a switch to the Premier Division which is now expected to be highly-competitive.

New chairman Iain Marsh says the club is looking forward to the challenge of winning the Premier Division – which is currently held by north Shropshire rivals Wem – which would be the cherry on top of some major work going on behind the scenes at Whitchurch.

And he says that hard work is being carried out across all of the club, with a healthy junior section ready to blood more stars for the senior section.

"A new season in the Shropshire League Premier Division is underway at Whitchurch CC on the field of play – although the first game was a victim of the weather – and it has also been a busy few weeks in the background," said Iain, who replaces Rod Jones.

"A huge amount of work has been undertaken to update/improve facilities to benefit both junior and senior players. Much of this has taken place in the pavilion with major revamps to the changing rooms, the kitchen and the main clubhouse.

"Brave members have been spotted on the pavilion roof brushing away the moss whilst others have been decorating indoors.

"Outside, the two older site screens have been completely overhauled to bring them up to the standard of the two new ones. The fence in front of the pavilion has had a lick of paint, gutters have been fixed and the practice nets have been painted.

"The ground, already regarded as one of the best in the county, is looking in first class condition.

"The club’s already successful junior section has been boosted by joining the All Stars scheme. This is specifically for children between five and eight years of age who may not have been introduced to the game.

"For further information or to sign up please visit https://www.ecb.co.uk/play/all-stars"

Iain admitted he has been proud of the work that has been carried out.

He added: “ I’ve been a member of the club for nearly 30 years and am honoured to be the chairman. We’ve had a busy start to the year and it’s great to see both the ground and pavilion looking this good.

"Junior training nights now take place every Thursday from 6.30pm and I’m particularly excited with the All Stars initiative. To get the younger children involved is vital to the future of the game both here and throughout the rest of the country. All Stars starts here on May 16 and I would encourage all parents to take a look at the All Stars website and sign their kids up.

"To continue to move the club forward, we continue to welcome companies or individuals who’d like to sponsor the club. If anyone is interested, they can contact me at whitchurch.cricket@gmail.com”

"Sunday sees the Club host two 20/20 games between Shropshire and Berkshire. Entry to the game is free (there is a small charge for car parking) and the club bar will be open all day. If you’d like to see some high quality Minor Counties cricket, Heath Road is the place to be this weekend."