New Harpenden CC captain pleased with winter additions

CRICKET: NEW Harpenden captain Nick Lamb believes the club’s new additions this winter can help take the side into the top half of the Home Counties Premier League (HCPL) Division One table.

Harpenden have recruited wicket-keeper/batsmen Chris Warn, all-rounder Simon White from local rivals Welwyn Garden City and Australian batsman Ricky Damiano and Lamb believes the addition of that experience combined with the club’s existing group of talented youngsters could mean an exciting season ahead.

“We’ll take each game as it comes but last year our aim was to stay up; we’ve had a good year in this league and signed some good players so I’d like to be looking at the top half this year,” Lamb told the Herts Advertiser.

“We’ve signed Chris Warn whose come from Suffolk and has moved into the area. He used to play for Essex II, now keeping for Suffolk so having him in the side is brilliant.

“He’s slightly older than some of the young boys in the side so having his experience will be great.

“A good friend of mine Simon White, who has been playing a Welwyn Garden City for the last six or seven years has joined us as well so in terms of experience and players with good ability we should be ok.

“We’ve also got Ricky Damiano who has come over from Australia and arrived yesterday (last Friday). He’s another batsmen, he is 24 and I’ve heard good things about him. In fact his last game in Australia he was playing the likes of Peter Siddle and he got a few runs there and we’re hoping he comes in and scores some good runs.

“Last year the young guys showed their inexperience a touch and we’re hoping that with these two additions that they can continue to grow. I’m not saying at all they won’t be in the first team I think the main thing is to bring on the youngsters and I hope we’ve got that balance now.”

Lamb has taken over the captaincy from spinner Ben Frazer who decided to stand down in the winter after a remarkable last day escape from relegation against Potters Bar last summer, a day that Lamb rates as his best in the sport.

“It actually goes down as the best day of cricket I’ve played to be honest,” he said.

“I think we all went in hoping but not thinking we could stay up. It was a miraculous day of cricket and I think it’ll go down in history as something really, really special; the boys pulled it out of the bag really well and it’s good to be able to play in this league again.”

Frazer’s decision to step down comes after the ex-Welwyn GC man achieved the targets he was set by the club in his first two seasons.

“When I came to the club two years ago the club asked me to get us up to the Premier League and keep us there within five years,” explained Frazer.

“We did it in two so I felt it was the right time to pass it on to someone I felt would have a fresher approach, a younger approach, a different style of captaincy which I felt the team needed. Lamby was the obvious choice in my eyes.”

Frazer, too, is excited by the arrival of the new players and he believes the calibre of the new signings the progress the club has made in recent years.

He said: “It’s good to have these players coming to Harpenden because three of four years ago I don’t think the club would have had these players out here on a Saturday. Now our targets are to become the best club in the county and signing players like that show our intentions.”

* New wicket-keeper Chris Warn says he needed to find a new club after moving into the area and says Harpenden fitted all the criteria.

“I’ve been playing for Bury St Edmunds for the last 10 years and Suffolk for 11,” he said.

“I’ve found myself moving out to Hatfield so it made sense to come and play some cricket out this way. I was trying to indentify a club where the wicket-keeping could fit in, so I had to do a bit of research throughout the leagues and find somewhere. I got in contact with Nick Lamb and took it from there.”