Hucknall Cricket Club host Attenborough in opening game of the season today as they set their sights on top four league finish

Hucknall Cricket Club get their 2023 Nottinghamshire Premier League campaign underway today (Saturday 22 April) when they host Attenborough at The New Gatehouse Ground on Hayden Lane.

The club were a creditable fifth in the table last season, their best finish for five years, winning 12 of their 22 matches.

Heading into the new season, club captain Sam Johnson is keen for his side to build on last year's performance and cannot wait for this campaign to get underway.

Speaking exclusively to Hucknall Nub News, he said: "I think we're in a really good place. In terms of a winter's work that I've done since I've been at Hucknall I think this is definitely our most productive in terms of the changes to the personnel and the additions we've managed to make. Also, the way we've trained has been really good and really high quality. Obviously with the weather and stuff we've had it's been a challenge but I don't think there'll be any club side in Nottinghamshire that's prepared better than us so bring it on."

The club has added former Papplewick opening bowler Daniel Blatherwick and spinner Dom Wheatley who has previously won the title with Kimberley.

However, the most exciting addition is arguably Nicol Loftie-Eaton, a Namibian international who represented his country in the last edition of the T20 World Cup in November.

When asked if his aim is for Hucknall to break into the top four this season, Johnson was bullish with his answer.

He said: "I think that has to be the aim. I completely agree that the four sides who I think is everyone's projected top four have got a lot of good players in and play well as a team, which is almost as important if not more, but you know I look at our 1 to 11 and I fancy it. I don't know whereabouts I fancy it in terms of rankings of those top four but I like to think we can really ruffle some feathers.

"Obviously last year was our best year since I've been at Hucknall and you know we did win a lot of games. The aim is to break into that top four, we appreciate it'll be difficult. I also think that the challenge the group will face is we're not the plucky underdogs anymore. There is now that expectation that going to Hucknall you know that'll be a tough game whereas in previous years maybe people thought that we had a bit of a soft underbelly to us and I think we proved that that wasn't the case last season, we won a lot of close games.

"Winning is a habit, you get used to winning games you get used to that feeling and what you have to do to get there. We've kept a lot of last year's team who got used to winning fixtures last year especially at home where we were really difficult to play against I think. So, I want those lads who were there last year to continue that mentality and mindset and I'm very conscious that the the lads I've brought in I've obviously got a lad with international experience, Dom Wheatley at Kimberley 's won the league three times, Dan's won the Derby Cup, I've got winners in there."

Turning his attention to today's game against Attenborough, he added: "I think's a really tough start. They've got pound for pound two of the best players in the league in Dan Freeman and Savin Perera so we'll have to put our work boots on, we've got to go to work do all the basics well and we've got to want it more than them. Everyone's enthusiastic going into the new season and we've got to make sure that we do the real fundamentals better than the opposition tomorrow and the whole season."