It's all change for the 6th XI this season as they move from the Hamro Foundation Essex League to Division 8 of the Mid-Essex League.  But one thing that certainly hasn't changed is the man in charge, with long standing captain Ray Calder leading the side once again in 2025. We caught up with him ahead of the new season.

Last year was tough at times, but the side did well in the second half of the season.  What were your favourite memories from both a team and personal perspective?
I have great memories from a couple of games.  There was the match where Ben (Calder) almost single-handedly won it with an amazing batting display as we got home by two wickets (against Stanford).  And then the game where Will (Court) and Harry (Bradford) batted superbly to see us to a crucial win even though our opponents had a somewhat stronger side than normal!

The side included a number of youngsters who did well last season.  How do you see this evolving this summer?
We never know how each season is going to play out because of the number of juniors we have in the team.  As we know, those junior players come back a foot taller and a bit stronger so those that played in the 6s last year may well be in the 5s or 4s this season.  So we are always ready for the next batch of youngsters coming through.  I am hoping we can keep some of the team from last year though and build a strong core of players as this season is going to be tough in the new league.  We will also need some senior cricketers to help balance the side.  To be fair, the new league seems quite bureaucratic (in terms of admin) so I'm also going to need some help with the paperwork and scoring etc before we even get to selection and being captain on the day!

As you say, the team has moved leagues this season into the Mid-Essex set up.  How are you and the rest of the side looking forward to that?
I think we will compete well in the new league, but will have some very tough games as well where we may get outplayed.  I think we have to look at the season as a whole rather than look too much at individual games.

How has the winter treated you and how has pre-season gone?
Pre-season has gone well personally, and I have been training all the way through since September.  I do put pressure on myself to make sure I'm scoring runs, sometimes trying too hard! I'm determined to play with some freedom this year and that is important not only for me but for the ethos of the team, to inspire others to play with freedom as well.

And are there any games you are particularly looking forward to over the summer?
I've been told we're going to be playing away at some lovely grounds so I am looking forward to that.  I tend not to look too far forward and try to keep in the moment and take each week as it comes.  It will be nice to play some real village cricket if things work out that way.