A word from the Captain

Matthew Warner

Matthew Warner

Captain

Moving into my 5th season at Oxford Downs I’m excited to be taking over as captain from Tom Costley who led the club through a very successful period, culminating with the 1st XI gaining promotion at the end of the 2023 season to the Home Counties Premier League Division 1, the highest possible league that the club can play in. This is an amazing achievement for a village side and has taken many years of hard work from a lot of people in the club.
 
Whilst our first priority will be to maintain our status as a Division 1 side this year, we are looking to play positive cricket and win as many games as possible while progressing as far as we can in the cup competitions we have entered. I feel we have a squad in a good position to compete in this league, making a number of additions to an experienced side. This includes Chaim Holder, a spin bowling all-rounder from Barbados who will be our overseas pro, and Tom Powell, a top order batter who made his National Counties debut for Oxfordshire last year. We also have plenty of young players progressing through the club and onto higher honours who I’m sure will make valuable contributions throughout the 2024 season.  
 
The drive and togetherness of our 1st XI squad has been excellent since I’ve joined, making playing at the club an enjoyable experience and I’m proud to lead the lads out this season in what will be a big test for the group.
Team Photo