Chairman confident of performing well

Redbridge CC chairman Khurram Iqbal is confident his men will perform well in the Essex County League Premier Division in 2016.

The club were promoted from Division One last year after finishing third and Iqbal said: “We should’ve finished higher, but we played well and are now promoted.

“We are hopeful, we have a good bunch and all of our players are very good. I think we will do very well in the Premier Division.”

Khizar Ur-Rehman will again captain the side and Hayat Ali, who played a star role in last year’s campaign, is expected to be a leading figure once more.

Chairman Iqbal hopes to win the T20 and League Cup this year, admitting the team has the talent and motivation to go all the way.

“We have plans to win the cups. Our league form from the last two seasons has given us motivation and belief to win the cups we are involved in,” he added.

Redbridge were knocked out of the T20 Cup by Ace Cricket & Sports Club last year, while Newham eliminated them from the league cup, and they will face both in the Premier Division, along with Hamilton Lions and newly formed Bow Green & Cosmopolitan, who were also promoted from Division One.

The chairman hopes his side will be the best performing out of the three new teams in the top flight, adding: “Last season, we beat Hamilton Lions in one game and lost one, due to lack of players as some were out with injury.

“This season I think we can beat Hamilton Lions on both occasions, if we have a full squad available.

“Cosmopolitan Athletic last season were a very good team, we need to set up plans to beat them because we lost both of our games against them last season.”

Iqbal believes the losses they suffered to Hamilton Lions and Cosmopolitan Athletic cost them first place last year.