LIAM Toohill is confident Bridport can enjoy a competitive campaign in Dorset League Division Three this season.

The Brewery Ground outfit begin their season with a home game against Winton Seconds on Saturday and their new skipper cannot wait to get started.

He said: “We should see an improvement on last year as long as we get a more consistent XI. Three of our main players, Ed Halson, Wes Lewis and Sam Challis, are all at university for the first few weeks, which will mean a bit of a struggle, but once they return we should be in good shape.

“While they are away, we will be relying on the help of the senior players and having Dave Herbert back for the whole season rather than just a few games will be a huge help.

“We have also got a new player in Ben Briscoe who has just moved into the area.

“He used to play cricket in Cheshire and is an all-rounder, so he will be helping out in all aspects of the game.

“Finally, there are some good youth players coming through too from the under-15s, who will be mainly used in the seconds but will no doubt be pushing for the first team as well, which should give us competition for places.”

When asked for his Division Three predictions, Toohill went on to add: “I think most of the teams will be strong so it should be an open league again.

“There is certainly no one we cannot beat if we all execute our game properly so it promises to be a good season.

“Last year, we won enough games to stay up but also had a couple of matches where we picked up zero or just one point, which held us back a bit.

“But when you look at the 300 we scored against Blandford and the tie we had with Portland Red Triangle, it proves on our day we can be more than a match for anyone and hopefully that will be the case this summer.”

The seconds start their Dorset League Division Five North & West campaign with a home clash against Weymouth Longshots on May 12.