CAPTAIN Greg Wright hopes his progressive Himley squad can again mount a challenge for promotion from Division One of the Birmingham and District League this season.

The Stourbridge Road outfit just missed out last term but Wright hopes his players have learned from that experience and can grow again in 2018.

They will start the campaign by welcoming newly-promoted Oswestry this Saturday (noon start).

Wright said: "Our aim is to be in the mix once again and to be up there challenging.

"It's hard to talk about promotion so early in the season but our aim is to make sure we are up there with the top sides and playing the right brand of cricket again.

"We were a young side last year, I was feeling my way back as captain and we made a few mistakes.

"We progressed as the season went on and need to make sure we keep doing that this time around.

"We scraped through a few games last year and showed how important team spirit can be. Hopefully we can learn from those games and start well.

"It's a challenging first game against Oswestry so we'll have to make sure we're switched on. It's important that we set the tone."

Himley have kept the core of last season's squad together with only Chad Brandrick moving on to Shifnal.

However, they have been strengthened by the return of talented batsman Ollie Westbury and overseas star Nipun Karunanayake.

Westbury, an England under-19 international and Worcestershire second team regular, came through the ranks at Himley and returns after a spell at Shrewsbury where he helped them finish runners-up to Knowle & Dorridge in the Birmingham Premier Division last season.

Wright added: "It is great to have him back because he has developed into the cricketer that had all hoped.

"Hopefully for him he'll be able to force his way into the Worcestershire team but it's great he is here again.

"He's a Himley lad and will fit right back in with the blueprint of what we are trying to do here."

Sri Lankan Karunanayake will miss the first few games to feature in a provincial tournament in his homeland but will then link up with Himley near the end of May.

"He's a fantastic lad with a great attitude and is a quality coach as well. He did really well for us last year and it's great to have him back."