IT WAS cheers all round at Puddletown Cricket Club's recent presentation evening at Dorchester Town Football Club, with numerous awards being presented to the outstanding contributors for the season.

Puddletown's Saturday side celebrated promotion from County Division Four, narrowly missing out on the title to Shaftesbury on the final day of the season.

Captain Adam Barrett was in buoyant mood, hailing the success of the team in his first season in charge. He said: “At the start of the season our goal was to consolidate our position in the league, with aspirations of promotion in the 2018 season.

"I am delighted that we have managed to exceed this objective, and can’t thank the lads enough for making my job easy."

The Saturday player of the season was awarded to Lucas Allen, whose 804 league runs made him the highest runscorer in all of the Dorset leagues.

Meanwhile, Puddletown's evening league first XI were crowned Division One champions, as well as reaching the knockout cup semi-final.

“To win division one at the first attempt was really quite remarkable,” said Lucas Allen, who captains the side.

“In the game that clinched the title, eight of the players playing had progressed from previous youth teams, which emphasises the excellent work that youth coaches Andy Barrett, Chris Spiller and Phil Drake have done in the past."

The evening league first XI player of the season was won by Adam Weir, who took 16 wickets with an economy of just four runs an over.

The evening league second XI, jokingly referred to as the ‘Barry Knight Riders’ after the IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders, was again run by Barry Knight with the intention of providing young players an opportunity to step up into the adult game.

The team fielded over 30 different players throughout the course of the season, with a mixture of youth and experience taking to the field.

Player of the season for the second XI was Dave Morris, whose experience was pivotal in aiding the development of the younger players.

In what was heavily affected due to weather and availability, the club entered a Sunday team into the new TT25 league, run by Graham Herron. Despite only completing a handful of fixtures, the team produced a variety of highlights and moments, with the TT25 team’s player of the season award going to Kieron Knight.

In regards to youth cricket, Puddletown ran two junior sides in youth leagues during the 2017 season, with both the under 11s and under 13s enjoying successful seasons. The coaching team of Howard Mason and Mike Hoffman oversaw a handful of youth players who were nominated for West Dorset trials this winter.

Newly-appointed club chairman David Stevens said: "If you look at the progress that the club has made since Howard Mason became chairman in 2008, it has really been quite remarkable.

"The club is in such a strong position now moving forward, and everyone at the club will be forever grateful for his hard work and dedication he has put in over the years."

Puddletown are moving forward with plans to insert grass wickets at Puddletown Rec, targeting the 2019 season for installation, and would like to thank Kingston Maurward College for their help and support. Further help from interested parties is welcomed.

n – Nets for players aged 14 and over will commence at Puddletown Middle School on Thursday, February 22 (6.30pm) for six consecutive weeks. Any interested new players can contact the club via Facebook or twitter - @PuddletownCC