LEAGUE cricket is set to return to Duntisbourne Abbots CC next season after a gap of eight years.

Two local lads, University of Gloucestershire student Toby Harris and Dan Robbins, who works at Rendcomb College, have been the prime movers in the resurrection of the club.

Its place in the Cotswold & District Cricket Association Division 3 for the 2010 season is due to be ratified at the league’s committee meeting in October.

Many of the proposed new side, including Harris and Robbins who have played this season for Birdlip 1st XI and Cirencester 2nd XI respectively, will be dropping down leagues when the club is relaunched, and there is understandable confidence that a rapid climb up the cricketing pyramid will follow.

"I admire the kids’ guts in getting this off the ground," said Toby’s dad Phil, who has been roped in as secretary and chairman of the revamped outfit.

"The average age of the side is 22 and they have an ambitious three-year plan to win a couple of promotions and then have a tilt at getting in the County League."

Although there has been a cricket club in the Duntisbournes since before the Second World War, the club folded in 2002 due to a lack of enthusiasm, players and money.

The remaining players found new homes in the catchment area with Birdlip, Rodmarton, Chedworth and Cirencester. Over the last seven years, a pro tem side, the Five Mile CC, has kept cricket alive at the ground.

They have maintained the square, while spending more than £4,000 on the Pavilion, which boasts a distinctive replica of the Old Father Time weather vane at Lord’s Cricket Ground, made by club stalwart John Whitaker.

On the back of tremendous success for Five Mile CC in Thursday night and Sunday friendlies – one loss in the last 22 matches – the idea of breathing life back into Duntisbourne Abbots CC was born.

Harris continued: "We are already oversubscribed with players and many are happy to drop down a level or two to get this up and running. After all the work, the Pavilion is now the bee’s knees and we have a super ground.

"Dan Robbins, who used to be a greenkeeper at Cirencester Golf Club, is going to be hands-on with the upkeep of the ground.

"Our dream is to put Duntisbourne Abbots back on the Gloucestershire cricketing map.