DOWNEND Cricket Club’s First XI will play at the highest level of club cricket in the region next season.
The team won the West of England Premier Cricket League Premier 2 Bristol/Somerset division, winning 13 of their 18 matches.
It means that next year they will take on the region’s biggest clubs, including Bristol, Bath and Bridgwater, in the Premier One division.
Masoor Khan was the top scorer over the season, with 878 runs, while Canister Gunaratnam took 35 wickets.
Head coach Theo Gordon, who guided the side to the top in his first season, said: “I couldn’t be more thrilled with how things have turned out.
“Winning promotion and getting the club back to the highest level we can compete at is a huge achievement for all of us.
“The club has really embraced the idea of having a head coach, which has helped us add to the vision of achieving success both on and off the pitch.
“I have been incredibly fortunate to work with such a talented and dedicated group of players.
“Our captain, Callum Loud, has been instrumental, and his recruitment of Masoor Khan and Canni Gunaratnam has strengthened what was already a very competitive squad.
“Being a head coach at a new club is never easy, but the warm welcome from both the club members and the players made it much easier for me to make an immediate impact.
“We set a clear goal of winning the league and securing promotion, and I’m proud to say we accomplished exactly that.
“I couldn’t be more proud of this team and the effort everyone has put in. Looking ahead, I am excited for the challenge of competing in Prem 1 next season.
“I have no doubt that we will continue to be competitive and challenge some of the bigger clubs out there.”
The club’s Second Xl finished fifth, the highest of the newly-promoted teams, in the Bristol & District Senior division, winning eight of their 17 matches.
Dan Semple top-scored with 386 runs, while Joe Tolman took 35 wickets.
Third XI narrowly missed out on promotion from Bristol & District Division 7, finishing as runners-up after winning 15 of their 16 matches.
Matt Curtis top-scored with 544 runs, while Temor Nadeem took 22 wickets.
The club had one outstanding fixture as the Voice went to print, the Bristol Midweek T20 final against Knowle, which has been cancelled twice due to the weather and is now expected to take place at the start of next season.