BELHUS Cricket Club captain Richard Day has hailed some of the club’s up and coming youngsters.

Teenagers Connor Day and Billy Winter have been playing in the first team this season and have not looked out of place alongside their more experienced team-mates.

Fourteen-year-old Day was the leading wicket-taker with 3-17 in Belhus’ six-wicket win over West Essex on Saturday.

And 15-year-old Winter took a wicket and then posted an unbeaten 62 to partner Roy Heffernan (66no) to victory.

“It was excellent to see Billy batting like that; it was a really mature performance,” said captain Day, whose team stand fourth in the Third Division table in their first season in the Essex Cricket League.

“Next year, he is going to better and the same goes for Connor. We have been trying to promote them through the club because we know they can perform.”

Belhus have enjoyed a successful start to life in the Essex Cricket League, but it looks as if promotion may elude them this summer due to the form of unbeaten leaders Benfleet and Thurrock rivals Stanford le Hope, who are second and 37 points ahead of Belhus.

Benfleet skipper Paul Tremain predicted earlier in the campaign that Belhus would be a force to be reckoned with in 2010.

But for the remainder of the current season captain Day is being more philosophical.

“All we can do is try to win out games and see where it takes us,” he said. “What will be, will be.”