Challow will begin the 2026 Home Counties Premier Cricket League season with a sense of achievement behind them and a clear understanding of the challenge ahead. Promotion was secured in emphatic fashion last year, but within the club there remains a strong awareness that the next step will demand even more.
Last season delivered results that few expected. Having only just arrived in the division the year before, Challow produced an unbeaten league campaign that ultimately carried them into the Premier Division.
“League-wise we were unbeaten. We had a couple of draws along the way, but other than that, we were pretty good, which was a bit of a shock. The season before we had been promoted from Division Two as runners-up. At the start of the season, the goal was just to stay in the league, so it was a bit of a surprise how it unfolded.”
Now comes the next stage of the journey. The jump in quality is not something captain James Phillips underestimates.
“It’s a big step up. But when you win the league you deserve to be there, don’t you? So we’ll give it a good go.”
Much of last season’s success was built on the strength of Challow’s bowling attack. Several members of the group delivered exceptional campaigns, regularly keeping opposition scores under control and giving the side a platform in games.
“I think the record of a lot of the bowlers was pretty outstanding. There were three or four of them around the 30-wicket mark with averages in single figures or around ten or eleven. Not many teams really got on top of us with the ball.”
Among those bowlers, Harvey Eltham played a particularly important role throughout the campaign, delivering both control and consistency across long spells.
“He’s one of the few who has experience at this level. He’s a quality cricketer and a very good bowler. He can be attacking and defensive at the same time. He bowls very tight lines and has a very good cricket brain. He also bowled a lot with the new ball last year, which isn’t ideal for opening batters when you’re facing an off-spinner. He’s someone we rely on a lot.”
With the bat, the side often found ways to get the job done without necessarily dominating.
“With the bat we kind of got by.”
A key figure in that department will again be their overseas player Dylan Crees, who returns for another season after a productive year with the bat.
“Our overseas player is coming back again this year and he was outstanding. He’s a very good young player and someone we’re looking forward to seeing at the next level. He scored a lot of runs in second grade this season and probably didn’t do quite as well as he wanted in first grade, but he’s got a lot of ability and he’s still very young. This will be his third or fourth year coming back so he knows the conditions as well.”
Last season’s success was built largely by a tight-knit group of players who have developed together over time, and that continuity remains important to the club.
“A lot of the guys haven’t played this level of cricket before so they’re excited about it.”
However, the realities of a longer and more demanding season mean Challow are also considering strengthening their squad.
“But in terms of squad depth, outside of the best 12 or 13 players we probably don’t have loads waiting in the wings if injuries or availability become an issue. So we’ll probably try to add a bit of depth.”
For a club that exceeded expectations last year, the approach heading into 2026 remains straightforward: trust the players who earned promotion, add where necessary, and embrace the opportunity to compete at a higher level.
