AMBITIOUS Harwich and Dovercourt Cricket Club have started planning and training for next season - and they are setting their sights on title glory.

The Low Road side will compete in Marshall Hatchick Two Counties Championship division five again and their fixtures begin in April.

That may be several months away - and this year’s campaign only finished in September - but no stone will be left unturned in the pursuit of success in 2018, according to skipper and new chairman Lee Davis.

“The club as a whole are very excited about the vision for next year and beyond and we hope people come down, support us and follow us on our journey,” he told the Standard.

“On the pitch, our short-term aim, as always, is for the first team to win their league next season.

“We’ve already begun planning and training for that and all three adult sides will be working together to help that aspiration, as well as continuing to promote the youth sides and supporting their future development in the sport.

“The work we’re putting in with the youngsters is aimed at our longer-term goal of moving further up the league ladder.”

Captain Davis recently took over as chairman following the club’s annual general meeting. He has replaced Dave Harman.

He is excited about the role and, in addition to overseeing success on the pitch, he also hopes to continue building a “community, family-orientated” club.

“Our vision is not to just to promote cricket to all ages but to create a community, family-orientated club where everyone feels welcome,” he added.

“This involves a number of work streams, including providing more social events for not just club members but also the wider community to join in with on a monthly basis.

“We also want to form links with other sports and social clubs to create a joined-up approach, encouraging the community and members to utilise all facilities available to them in the area. We will be offering the hire of the hall for business meetings, parties or other functions and also plan to work together with local businesses to build sponsorship links and help promote them across Essex and Suffolk.

“Finally, we plan to encourage our members to support other community events.”

One of the decisions made at the annual meeting was to introduce a social membership, which will cost £5 for adults and £10 for families.

The next event at the club, which is free and open to everyone, is their race night on December 1 (7pm start).

To find out more about the club and upcoming events, visit their new website - www.hdcclub.co.uk