Back (from left): Jamie Hicks, Ollie Green, Alex Cridland, Tom Blackley, Jack Rowett, Keith Clarke (Manager). Front: Harry Beardsley, Alex Nippard, Chris Jennings, Sam Collins, Roshan Embalagama, Shane Green.
Parley are celebrating promotion into County Division 1 next season – ten years after joining the Hampshire League as a Regional Division 4 West club in 2008.
Amazingly, two of the players who turned out in the ‘debut’ match ten seasons ago – Alex Cridland and Jack Rowett – were in the Parley team that clinched the County 2 title with a massive win at Redlynch & Hale, where the visitors racked up 332-7.
It was Parley’s sixth promotion in eight years – the club deciding several seasons ago, after winning the Dorset League three times on the trot, to concentrate its efforts on the ultimate goal of a Southern Premier League place.
“We have lost only six games in the past four seasons,” says skipper Sam Collins, who celebrated his maiden Minor Counties Championship century for Dorset this summer.
“We have the makings of a pretty good side, but having not played or watched any County 1 it is hard to know how the standard will compare next season.”
Collins top scored with 559 runs this season, while Shane Green (483) and Alex Nippard (462) each hit centuries.
Parley’s leading wicket takers were Oli Green (19) and Tom Blakeley (15).
“Eight of the team that played at Redlynch came up through our well established youth set up, all of them showing great commitment and dedication to the club,” Colins added.
“We’ve provide a launch pad for numerous talented young cricketers to play locally and have naturally lot quite a few, especially to the likes of Bashley (Rydal) and Bournemouth.
“But we’re keen not to become a feeder club to the local Premier League sides.”