Steve Warner has joined Portsmouth from South Wilts [Roy Honeybone]
Ben Duggan is aiming high in his first season as Portsmouth captain.
The former Hampshire Academy left-hand opening batter has taken over from James Christian ahead of his fifth season at St Helens on Southsea seafront.
Christian has stepped down as captain due to his work commitments as a school teacher in Berkshire.
Duggan will lead a new-look Portsmouth side in a Southern Premier League Division 1 campaign that gets underway at Sparsholt.
SPL top flight title-winner Steve Warner will open the bowling after swapping a playing role at Salisbury-based South Wilts for a head coach title at Portsmouth.
Warner - good friends with Portsmouth club captain Matt Shaw - is the first external head coach Duggan has known in his time at St Helens.
‘Steve brings a wealth of experience,’ he said. ‘I think he’s won five Premier League titles.
‘I know Steve likes what he’s seen so far in pre-season.’
Portsmouth became embroiled in a relegation battle last year, only staying up by beating Sarisbury Athletic in their last game. For a club with ambitions of returning to the top flight, it was a tough summer.
‘It was very disappointing,’ Duggan recalled. ‘The year prior to Covid (2019) we had finished third or fourth with basically the same squad apart from Fraser Hay, the West Australian overseas all-rounder from Melville.
‘This year we want to compete for the league. Minimum top three finish. When we have our squad fully available, we will have the capacity to do that.’
That won’t be in the first few weeks of the season, though, as opening bowler Joe Kooner-Evans is unavailable due to University commitments in Swansea. He plays for Neath in the South Wales League.
Portsmouth have also recruited pinch hitting top order batsman Dan Wimble (Fareham & Crofton) and left arm seamer Ashan Silva (Waterlooville).
Wimble was a consistent run-scorer in the Hampshire League, compiling four successive half-centuries in 2019. Last August, he struck 91 against Old Basing and 93 against Burridge 2nds. He has already made an impression at his new club, top scoring with 41 in a friendly loss to Havant.
Rakshith Rao is another new face, the ambidextrous off-spinner - who can bowl left or right arm - contacting the club a few weeks ago after moving to the area for work.
Against that, Portsmouth have lost wicket-keeper Alex Hammond and Dan Wallis, who have both moved to London for work reasons. Richard Warner will keep wicket.
The former Hampshire Academy left-hand opening batter has taken over from James Christian ahead of his fifth season at St Helens on Southsea seafront.
Christian has stepped down as captain due to his work commitments as a school teacher in Berkshire.
Duggan will lead a new-look Portsmouth side in a Southern Premier League Division 1 campaign that gets underway at Sparsholt.
SPL top flight title-winner Steve Warner will open the bowling after swapping a playing role at Salisbury-based South Wilts for a head coach title at Portsmouth.
Warner - good friends with Portsmouth club captain Matt Shaw - is the first external head coach Duggan has known in his time at St Helens.
‘Steve brings a wealth of experience,’ he said. ‘I think he’s won five Premier League titles.
‘I know Steve likes what he’s seen so far in pre-season.’
Portsmouth became embroiled in a relegation battle last year, only staying up by beating Sarisbury Athletic in their last game. For a club with ambitions of returning to the top flight, it was a tough summer.
‘It was very disappointing,’ Duggan recalled. ‘The year prior to Covid (2019) we had finished third or fourth with basically the same squad apart from Fraser Hay, the West Australian overseas all-rounder from Melville.
‘This year we want to compete for the league. Minimum top three finish. When we have our squad fully available, we will have the capacity to do that.’
That won’t be in the first few weeks of the season, though, as opening bowler Joe Kooner-Evans is unavailable due to University commitments in Swansea. He plays for Neath in the South Wales League.
Portsmouth have also recruited pinch hitting top order batsman Dan Wimble (Fareham & Crofton) and left arm seamer Ashan Silva (Waterlooville).
Wimble was a consistent run-scorer in the Hampshire League, compiling four successive half-centuries in 2019. Last August, he struck 91 against Old Basing and 93 against Burridge 2nds. He has already made an impression at his new club, top scoring with 41 in a friendly loss to Havant.
Rakshith Rao is another new face, the ambidextrous off-spinner - who can bowl left or right arm - contacting the club a few weeks ago after moving to the area for work.
Against that, Portsmouth have lost wicket-keeper Alex Hammond and Dan Wallis, who have both moved to London for work reasons. Richard Warner will keep wicket.
