Sporting Alfas soon get back to cricketing ways with some practice seasons prior to their first match of the season, a second team friendly against Alicante rivals, Intellectuals CC on February 8th.
Over the winter a lot of hard work from several Alfas members has resulted in an improved playing area around the wicket. The first practice session will start on Sunday the 25th of January at mid-day and will be followed with a further session on sunday the 1st, before the game with Alicante on Sunday the 8th, which also starts at noon.
The midweek team kick off their campaign on Friday the 13th of February when they entertain the first touring team of the season Gedling and Sherwood, again a 12 o’clock start. The tourists also play on Sunday the 15th against SACC 2, and sandwiched in between is SACC 1’s baptism with the 2009 season when they pit wits against the wise heads of the Forty club of Spain.
In addition to these games, Alfas have other matches against regular tourists Tottenhoe, and Division Two league rivals Albox in February. This years Alfas line-up looks particularly strong and look to have been bolstered by the arrival of several new players, including opening bat Rob Tasker, who is a level 2 coach, former Derbyshire Seconds player Martin Dawson, and Durham Academy player, Jordan Benson, who is closing in on his 18th birthday.
Finally, everyone at Alfas sends their best wishes to Greg Hopcroft, who has returned home to Scotland, and we look forward to seeing him periodically throughout the year, especially when he returns with his former club, Glenrothes CC in September.