LECHLADE CC are the best kept cricketing secret in the West of England.

That’s the view of Arthur Jupp who took over as chairman of the club shortly after its historic promotion to the West of England Premier League One last summer.

The Lechlade rise has been meteoric – promoted as champions three times in the last five seasons and with a county cup success along the way.

From village minnows they are now serious players in the West of England Premier League.

“Having watched the first team perform against the odds and win WEPL Premier Two with a team whose average age was just 20, it was clear to me that we were the best kept cricketing secret in the West of England,” said Jupp.

“To now be competing in the same league as Bristol and Bath is an incredible achievement for a town of our size.

“What also struck me was the enormous amount of work we had to do off the field to get our infrastructure to match our on-field success.

“We needed to raise the profile of the club locally and beyond.”

Lechlade’s previous chairmen and committees had overseen a hugely successful period culminating in last year’s promotion to the WEPL One, fulfilling the dream of former chairman Paul Rowley, who sadly passed away in 2014.

The club has been busy on a number of fronts since securing promotion.

A new scoreboard and new covers are being installed in time for the new season. Efforts to bring in more commercial revenue have proved successful with 13 new sponsors helping to fund the first team as the club prepares to make the huge step up to the new division. A new website is also on the way.

On the pitch, the focus has been on recruitment with the club bolstered by the close-season signings of 18-year-old batsman Ollie Forbes and an opening fast bowler from Yorkshire, Chris Harwood, 21.

Significantly, they have also retained the first team stars that won promotion, including former U19 World Cup-winning South African Bradley Dial.

The bulk of the side, which will again be captained by Freddie Martin, are still 21 or under, making them the youngest squad in the league.

New recruits have also been added to the 2nd XI in a bid to win promotion from Gloucestershire Division Four this season.

Meanwhile, the club’s junior set-up, which provides cricket for young players of all ages and abilities, continues to flourish under the stewardship of Jon Merrett.

Having worked with local schools for a number of years, they recently signed up to be part of the ECB’s new “All Stars” cricket initiative which aims to give local children between five and eight years of age their first experience of the game.

Jupp added: “It is an extremely exciting time for the cricket club both on and off the pitch and we want as many people from the local community to be part of it, whether they be players, members, supporters or volunteers.”