Josh Towell Has Talked All Things Bicester & North Oxford Following His Appointment As The Club’s Skipper For The 2025 Season.
Towell replaces the outgoing Ryan Moore, who stood down after nine years at the helm.
Moore’s outstanding era in charge saw him leave with a legacy of four promotions and a 70% win rate, under his leadership of over 120 games. The team rose from Cherwell Division 4 to the Home Counties Premier League, securing a T20 Cup win at Wormsley along the way. An extraordinary journey which has led Bicester & North Oxford back to historic heights of before.
The wicketkeeper-batter moved to Bicester & North Oxford from Thame Town having played for Oxfordshire under 18s. He has been in the first team squad where he was once 12th man. The new man at the helm is relishing the challenge.
It’s an amazing opportunity becoming 1st XI captain of a Home Counties side, it’s a great honour to be given the role and it was unexpected I won’t lie, I’m sure most people are very surprised to see it but I want to prove to everyone that I am up to this standard. I feel a great deal of excitement and responsibility, excited to be playing along side and leading our squad and then a responsibility to develop and grow the squad and hopefully exceed expectations.
So how did Towell take charge at the Home Counties Premier Cricket League, Division 2 club?
It became aware to me around week 14/15 of last season that Ryan was stepping down at the end of the year. He’d been 1st XI skipper for the last 9 years so it will be a change to the team. I’d like to thank him for his support and commitment to the team and the chances he’s given me in such a short time have been game changing. He will still bring his experience and contributions to the team next season which I will take on board and learn from.
Looking ahead, the new man at the helm at Akeman Street gave an update on what is happening within the squad.
We have lost one player in the winter, being Zian Stoop as our overseas. After scoring 600 runs last year he’ll be tough to replace. But the main core of the team looks positive and confident. Recruitment wise, I’m looking to target younger players that I believe have a real chance of making a name for themselves in premier league cricket and higher. The experience of our current players will really help these young lads develop their game into something special. It is hard to compete with some of the bigger sides and the promises they make to these players. I’ve experienced and seen it myself of players just becoming twos players, or only filling gaps. Whereas I want to build my team around these young players and make the team successful for the next five plus years.
The aims for Towell and Bicester & North Oxford are to kick on again.
For the 2025 season, after navigating our way out of the bottom end of the table last year, we now have experience of this level and I want to target that top half of the table and cement ourselves as a Home Counties side. There’s some top teams in our division this year so it’s going to be a competitive season ahead.
One piece of positive news is that the club has worked hard and have organised their overseas player in good time. They are still looking for a player/coach, with anyone interested encouraged to get in touch with the club.
It’s been such a relief to sign Samuel Payne on as our overseas player for 2025. He’s a young lad with heaps of talent, and love for the game, and we all here at BNOCC can’t wait to meet him. I was eager to get introduced to him once I heard about him and what he can do on the cricket pitch, and both sides were keen to get a deal from the start. Over the course of last season and the beginning of winter we did identify the need for a player/coach. The wealth of experience and knowledge they bring to sides is season changing. It would be great to get someone on board in the next few months so they can really work and gel with the team.
We would like thank Josh for his time and wish him and his side well in 2025.
