NEW captain Charlie Brain is looking forward to freshening up Shipton-under-Wychwood after achieving a lifetime ambition in becoming captain, writes Jack Johnson.

The 30-year- old has replaced Simon Hole as the Home Counties Premier League side’s skipper, following in the footsteps of his father Stephen – the club’s chairman.

Left-handed batsman Brain, who made his senior debut for Shipton in 2003, is now hoping the west Oxfordshire side will benefit from a change in leadership ahead of their Division 2 opener at Buckingham Town on Saturday.

He said: “Holey did it for six years and was a decent leader.

“I have been at the club since I was a boy and it has always been not a dream, but an ambition to be captain.

“I see it as a bit of a transition period but we still want to win things, we want to be up there.”

Shipton found themselves challenging near the top of the table in the early stages of last year, but a combination of a dip in form and a tight league resulted in them finishing third from bottom.

Brain added: “I am not sure we deserved to finish there because we won nearly as many games as we lost, but the problem was we stopped functioning as a team.

“We got away with it at the start with individual performances.

“It is alright when you are winning, but when you start losing everyone starts looking at each other.

“That is the main aim, to start bringing that team back.”

Indian all-rounder Anupam Sanklecha will miss the first few weeks of the new season as he awaits the birth of his second child.

But opener Joe Barrett returns to the club from Bath and all-rounder Shaun Cross is back in the set-up.

Brain said: “Everyone has got a clean slate and I have said to them history means nothing to me.

“We have got a hell of a batting order and people will be playing for places and not what they did ten years ago.”

Meanwhile, Andy Harris admits a mid-table finish would do nicely for Great & Little Tew as they embark on their debut season in the top flight.

Tew, who won Division 2 last year, begin their campaign at Henley on Saturday.

Captain Harris believes his side can spring a few surprises in Division 1, but is under no illusions about the club’s main ambition.

“We would like to make sure we are still in the division next year,” said seamer Harris.

“It would be nice to have a season to try to consolidate our position.

“As long as we’re somewhere in the mid-table it would be a successful season.”

Harris, who made his minor counties debut for Oxfordshire last year, added: “The thing for us is we have not got any stand-out performers.

“Everyone can produce a match-winning performance.

“We never rely on individuals and it is about our team ethic which has taken us this far over the last five or six years.”

Tew have bolstered their squad over the winter with top-order batsman Henry Woodward joining from Tiddington.

Australian all-rounder Dain Moreton, 22, has signed as their oversees player, while opener Joe White is expected to be fit to face Henley after fracturing his wrist during the winter and Harris believes facing a side who finished third last season will be a good test.

He said: “They are one of the teams that everyone tries to judge themselves against and we will see where we are.”