DORCHESTER Cricket Club have signed two top quality top-order batsman as they bid to improve on their solid fourth-placed finish in the Dorset Premier League in 2017.

Bharat Popli, who has family in Dorchester, has played first-class cricket in New Zealand for Northern Districts. 

Popli is a top-order batsman, and his current plans are to play a number of games for the county town club whilst he is over having an extended break with his family and if Popli does play he will be the best player ever to represent the county town and their is a real buzz about the club as they look forward to this prospect.

Popli will also be joining the already impressive coaching set-up at Dorchester CC’s youth section when he comes over, both as a group and for individual one-to-one sessions.

Popli will be 28 this summer so will be in his prime and there will be huge interest in his debut if and when this occurs. 

The second signing is that of Eral Anderson who is an ex-professional rugby union player who played for Gloucester, Moseley and England Under-21s.

In his cricket career, Anderson has played in the Worcester Premier League where he averaged 40+ in a very competitive and strong league and has recently moved down to Dorset where he is looking for more Premier League cricket.

The club’s Simon Joslin said: “Anderson has an infectious personality and will bring with him a professional approach and a desire to win that is going to be influential on the pitch and in the changing room, he is also a full-time coach and will be joining the coaching staff with a view to also running a summer cricket day camp in the summer holidays.”

Dorchester hope that both of these signings will give them more quality and depth to a strong batting line-up, and having new players will keep their existing players on their toes and will raise the standards in 
training as there will be competition for places in all departments. 

New captain James Dunham has started well and given real energy to their training and off-field activities and with the Caldwell brothers Will and James back as well this year to compliment their established top-order batting of Dan Belt, Simon Mitchem and Will McCay.

Indoor nets at Thomas Hardye School will be held on Friday from 7.30 to 9pm and last Saturday, the club held a tidy up at the Rec with a NatWest ground force morning.