High Wycombe’s 1st XI are preparing for a new chapter in 2025 with a new-look side following three key players moving on from the team. At the centre of their prep, is Cam Parsons who admits the call-up came as a surprise.
“It was something I didn’t massively expect,” he says. “Sketch gave me a bell around October or November and we had a bit of a chat. I’ve been at the club since I was 12, so to be able to say I’m captaining the first team is a really nice feeling.”
Parsons has a sense of pride in being a homegrown player who has developed his skills as a bowler since his early beginnings, becoming arguably one of the most consistent in the league. With a calm confidence, he has a belief in doing things the right way, nurturing a positive environment now that he’s at the helm.
“I’m pretty relaxed,” he says. “I like to think I’m approachable. I let the cricket do the talking.”
The departure of key figures like Marles, Callis and Woodland means the team will look and feel very different this year. But that hasn’t changed their approach to the season. In fact, it’s given added incentive for some of the younger lads in the side to step up.
“We’ve lost three big players, no doubt,” he admits. “But it’s also a chance for younger lads to come into the side and stake their claim. And for the older heads like myself, it’s a chance to keep putting our stamp on things.”
High Wycombe have brought in three signings who bring a mix of energy and experience.
Aadi Sharma, a batter from Great Brickhill who’s just signed his first contract at Northamptonshire, who Parsons described as “young, fresh, wants to perform well, wants to work hard.”
Alongside him comes Dan Lincoln – who needs no introduction.
“He brings a wealth of experience—not just on the pitch but off it too. For someone like me, I’ll definitely be leaning on him.”
All-rounder Josh Lincoln completes the triad of signings, whose opportunities with the ball have been limited elsewhere. “He’ll get those chances with us. We know what he can do with the bat—he’s explosive in that middle order. But we’re really looking forward to seeing what he can offer with the ball too.”
It’s a new-look side where Parsons wants to keep a blend between youth and experience. “It’s massive,” he says. “The senior lads are there to take pressure off the younger ones. It’s hard coming into the first team—it’s a big step. Hopefully we can help make that transition a bit easier.”
Last season ended in disappointment. High Wycombe came close, but ultimately fell short. And the new skipper isn’t pretending otherwise.
“If we’re brutally honest, we probably weren’t good enough to win the league. There were games we should have won, and games we scraped through. The performances just weren’t consistent enough.”
Throughout the winter, Wycombe will look to focus on what’s already in place, but hammering home on the consistency element of the game. Training is happening across the board with players whether it be indoors, with minor counties, with Northants in the case of Sharma. But it’s also included something new: weekly running sessions, tracked and led by fitness coach Connor Haddow.
“It’s not loads,” he says. “But it gets miles in the legs, keeps people accountable. Some of us even enjoy it—especially when you’ve been sitting at a desk all day.”
Added fitness preparation could be what Wycombe need to claim top spot again after a disappointing ending, “We’ve got a group of players who want to win, want to work hard, and want to prove themselves—individually and as a team.”
The fixture list brings plenty to look forward to. Wycombe rivals, Henley, as always, will be a big one for the new outfit, “It’s kind of the game everyone looks to. That rivalry’s been there for years. And they won the league last year, so there’s something to prove there too.”
With Callis and Woodland moving locations, it leaves former captain Dan Marles as someone to beat over at Finchampstead.
“It’ll be odd, having played with him for five or six years. But it’ll be a good challenge. He’ll be motivated, and we’ll be just as up for it.”
With a new captain, fresh faces, and lessons learned from last year’s shortcomings, High Wycombe head into the new season with quiet determination rather than noise, arguable something they’ve got wrong in previous years.
“We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel,” he says. “Just trying to build something solid—something that works.”
