CRICKET: A whole host of former England stars will be heading to Hadleigh & Thundersley on Friday.
Ex internationals Alex Tudor, Monty Panesar, Phil DeFreitas and Adam Hollioake will be among those in action against Hadleigh at John Burrows.
And Hadleigh skipper Sam Handley cannot wait for the game to get underway.
“International day at John Burrows is always a day to look forward to,” said Handley.
“It’s always a pleasure just to be involved playing against some massive legends of the game.
“Having the PCA (Professional Cricket Association) involved this year for the first time is amazing and a different dynamic to previous years.
“There’s also a kids tournament running throughout the day which makes it great for the whole family to be involved in and we’re hoping to get as many people coming along as possible.”
Hadleigh will also be heading into the game on a high as they currently sit second in the Premier Division standings in the Essex League.
But Handley is still not completely satisfied.
“The season so far has been quite mixed to be completely honest,” said Handley.
“We would have taken being second at the start of the year however having had opportunities to win the games we lost it certainly had the potential to be special.”
Hadleigh will be looking to maintain their lofty league placing.
And Handley feels the success achieved so far has been down to the work-ethic of the team.
“I think the hard work the boys have put in at training, and the never say die attitude of the boys towards the difficult scenarios that have been faced in games this year has played a big part,” said Handley.
“The closeness of the group makes playing a pleasure.”
Hadleigh certainly enjoyed themselves on Saturday as they saw off Belhus by 77 runs.
And Handley was full of praise for the performance.
“Getting 25 points against any side in this league is never easy and to finish the red ball part of the season with two 25 point results has been brilliant,” said Handley.
“It’s the best we have performed with the red ball in a long time as a club.
“It’s been great and now we can look forward to Friday’s game.”
The bar will be open from 10.30am at Burrows Park with the main match due to get underway at 3.30pm.
Entry is free.
READ MORE
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here