For the third part of our pre-season cricket chats Stephen Wallis returned to The Avenue to find out all the latest news from the new March Town Cricket Club skipper and opening bowler Callum Young.
How pleased were you to be elected as the club captain at the recent Annual General meeting?
It's a huge honour to become the captain. It's an amazing club with a really incredible ground and I have always loved playing here, so I am very thankful to be given this opportunity. I have played for the club since I was ten, making my first team debut at 15.
so to now become club captain seventeen years after that debut is really great and hopefully, I can be positive captain for the club moving forward.
Is captaincy something you always hoped to do in your career?
I would say it's always something that I have always had some thoughts about. I am a very competitive person who always thinks about what I would do in certain situations during games. So, I guess now I get the opportunity to see if my cricket brain is as good as I think it is.
As an opening bowler are you confident you will be able to mix both roles successfully?
Yeah, I don't see why not. Obviously, it will mean there will be times where I may have a battle between my competitive bowler emotion and the emotion of a captain.
But I feel I am experienced and calm enough to be able to do this and do what is best for the team.
Who is your vice-captain and do plan to work closely as a leadership group?
Brandon Phillips is remaining as the vice-captain this year which is great for me as it adds that continuity and gives the good balance of a top-order batter and a bowler. Also, he is a fellow Arsenal fan so it's basically the dream team.
The 1st XI was relegated last season from Cambs and Hunts League division 1 are you expecting the players to respond positively and bounce back this term and gain promotion?
I wouldn't say we have a specific aim for the season in terms of where we are going to finish.
We aim to be competitive, to try and win more games and see where we end up. My main aim is to get players back enjoying cricket, playing more regularly, and building good team and club comradery on and off the pitch.
What do you think are your key areas as a side you need to improve on this season?
We really need to focus on batting longer and valuing our wicket. I think our bowling unit is good and we have proved in recent years that we can bowl sides out, unfortunately, we haven't been able to score enough runs consistently to be able to have the chance to do this.
What can you tell us about any new players for 2024, I read in the Fenland Citizen that you have signed New Zealander Josh Fisher?
We have, Josh is an all-rounder who looks like a great addition. Hopefully, he can add some much-needed runs as well as pick up some crucial wickets. I know Lewis Welcher is happy that Josh will add a bit of extra pace to our bowling attack, and I am really excited to see what he can do.
Another player that I am really happy and excited to have back is Toby Nulty, he hasn't played regularly for a few years now, but he has loads of ability and I believe his addition will be very positive for us on all fronts.
Which clubs do you feel will be your main rivals in Cambs and Hunts Division Two?
I think the league as a whole will be very competitive, as there are a few clubs that have previously played in Division One. If I had to one it would be Newmarket, as they came down with us and are always very competitive and have several good players.
How many sides are the club fielding in 2024?
We are fielding three sides and a Saturday and one side on a Sunday. Which is great as it gives plenty of opportunity for new players and young players to be able to play and get involved at the club.
If someone, who may be new to the area wants to join the club as a player what should they do?
Come down to the club on a Saturday afternoon or come along to training. We train every Thursday at the club from 5:45pm and everyone is welcome to come to that and have a hit and get involved.
We are also on most social medias, especially Facebook and Instagram, so if you are interested, please do contact us. We have amazing coaching for all junior age groups, the four adult men's teams and an amazing women's team in the March Marvels.
How as a club do you keep promoting the game of cricket?
Social media is the big thing for this, and we are working on growing our social media presence to get ourselves out into the community. This club is a great place to be, especially on sunny afternoon/evening and we are looking to have plenty of social events throughout the summer which will hopefully get more people involved in the game.
Finally, when does the season start for March Town Cricket Club and when is your opening league match?
Our first game of the season is Saturday, May 4, at home to Newmarket. The game starts at 12:00 and hopefully it will be a nice sunny day with a positive result to start the season.
