Play it again Sam

Sam Williams will captain Montgomery Cricket Club in 2019 for a third consecutive season, while David Jones will take charge of the Seconds.

Having finished runners-up in Shropshire Division Two last season, Sam will be hoping his side can go one better next year.

The Shropshire County League is being restructured for next season and it looks likely that Montgomery will be placed in Division Two and Montgomery II will play in Division Six. 

Sam said: “Last season was good and had we scored the number of points we did in any other division we would have won the league. But in fairness to Ellesmere they beat us twice and deserved the title, but that will only drive us on to go even better next season.

“I expect us to keep our squad together and I believe we have the players and the strength in-depth to challenge for promotion to Division One.”

All-rounder Aaron Ruff-Cock will again be Sam’s vice-captain once the season gets underway.

With George Corfield stepping down as captain of the second team, Jones will lead the team’s Division Six promotion push.

After joined the club as a teenager 17-years-ago, he is excited by the changes made to the structure of the league after a difficult 2018 in the now defunct Shropshire Reserve Division One.

He said: “It’s an honour to be made captain, and to take over from George who has done a tremendous job over the past few years.

“Last season we were a victim of our own success and ended up playing in a division that was too strong for us, but we learnt a lot and I would hope we will start 2019 a better side for the experience.”

The leadership of the second team will be an all family affair with David’s brother, Richard, being selected as vice-captain.

The two captains were named at the club’s AGM, where Ieuan Griffiths was also named Sunday Captain after the position was left vacant last season.

The full committee appointed at the AGM of Montgomery Cricket Club is: John Jones (President), John Barker (Chairman), Stan Davis (Vice-Chairman), David Thomas (Secretary), Andrew Barker (Treasurer), Victoria Ruff-Cock and Anne Griffiths (Child Welfare Officers), Andrew Black (Fixtures Secretary), Sam Williams (First Team Captain), David Jones (Second Team Captain), Keith Griffiths (Youth Team Manager), Richard Jones (Communications Officer), Jonathan Williams, Ian Fletcher, Thomas Corfield and Aaron Ruff-Cock (Committee Members) and Mark Cadwallader (Accounts Certifier). Ieuan Griffiths will captain the Sunday team and Rob Bennett will work closely with Anne and Victoria with a view to becoming the club’s third Child Welfare Officer in 2020.