10:20am Wednesday 9th September 2009
By Chris Phillips
HADLEIGH and Thundersley skipper Adam Fleming has expressed his pride at leading the club to the Division Two championship.
After four seasons at that level in the Shepherd Neame Essex Cricket League, Hadleigh have risen back up into Division One.
And Fleming is delighted to have secured success with his young side.
“It’s been brilliant and I’m very proud of them all,” said Fleming, who has been captain of the club since 2004.
“I’ve been looking back through the record books and I think we are the first Hadleigh team to have won a league at first team level and that makes it even sweeter.
“We’ve made our own little bit of history with a side which has nine homegrown players and an average age of around 22, which is brilliant.”
Youngsters like Adam Soilleux, Oliver Wagstaff and Joe Robbins — who all emerged through the youth system — played a large part in the promotion and that made it even sweeter for Fleming.
“It’s great when someone who you have seen play from a young age comes in and starts taking wickets and scoring lots of runs, but that’s what we’ve had this year,” said the skipper.
“Adam took six wickets when playing for Essex’s second team a few weeks back and we need to be playing at a higher level to make sure we can keep hold of these kind of talented youngsters we have.”
With a team mainly consisting of teenagers, Hadleigh have also been grateful for the experience of player-coach Nigel Holmes this term.
He has previously won two titles with Woodford Wells and his knowledge proved invaluable for both the club and Fleming.
“Nigel has been a big part of what we’ve done this year,” said the skipper. “His experience has been vital.”
“We have a great infrastructure at the club and Keith Klein (cricket manager) and Roy Soilleux (youth manager) also deserve credit for the club's success. “Everyone who played in the side also contributed at one time or another to our successful season.”
Subsequently, Fleming is confident that Hadleigh will now be able to cope with playing in Division One. The skipper has previously played at that level and higher and he is therefore sure his side can survive.
“I have no doubt that we can deal with going up,” said Fleming. “There is a step up in standard but I think we have a team that will improve and will be able to cope.”
>Soilleux ended the season as the club’s top wicket taker, with 38 at an average of 13.18.
Dan Jackson was second with 37 and Oli Wagstaff third with 21.
Jackson was the leading run-scorer, with 784 at an average of 60.31. Robbins was next with 617 at 38.56 and Fleming third with 424 at 30.29.
>HADLEIGH’S third XI were also promoted to Division One. More cricket on page 35.
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