OXFORD begin a new era when they visit rivals Horspath in Division 2 tomorrow.

John Barrett will skipper the side after taking over from Ian Crosby.

The change in captaincy is not the only alteration at the club, with Oxford University Press’s Jordan Hill Sports Ground becoming their new home.

With the closure of Oxford Sports & Social Club, in Roman Way, the club needed to find a new ground for the start of the campaign.

Five new players have also arrived after last year’s relegation.

All-rounder Harry Stephens, top-order batsmen George Munsey, Owyn Tong-Jones and Shahbaz Alam, as well as seamer Faisal Khalid, have all joined.

Following the move, Barrett believes Oxford have a secure future.

He said: “We had been at Roman Way for quite a while and it became quite run down.

“The security of the club was on the line and I think it made it difficult for people to commit.

“Roman Way was never a ground people enjoyed playing against us at and we used that to our advantage, but it came to a stage where the success of the club dwindled a bit.

“There is now a more positive atmosphere and I would go as far as to say it is a new era and hopefully a successful one on and off the pitch.”

After failing to win a league game last year, Barrett is hoping to turn Oxford’s fortunes around.

He added: “We are in transition and this season is about starting to enjoy it, win some games and see where we can go.”

PLAYERS IN

H Stephens (Datchet), G Munsey (unattached), O Tong-Jones (Oratory School), S Alam, F Khalid (both Leamington).

PLAYERS OUT

W Rooney (Thame Tn).

TOMORROW’S SQUAD

from Barrett, Clough, Crosby, Warson, Alam, Khalid, Munsey, Stephens, Beer, Mendis, Fairhead, Perera, Eltham.

HORSPATH should expect a battle to make an instant return to the top-flight, according to captain Will Eason.

Division 2 proved exceptionally tight last year, with 64 points separating promoted Finchampstead and third from bottom Shipton-under-Wychwood.

Horspath have looked to strengthen, with former Pakistan all-rounder Rameez Raja signing, along with Jamie Stead from Berkshire League side Mortimer West End and Abingdon Vale seamer Jason Cardy.

After suffering relegation on the last day of the Division 1 season, Eason is expecting quite a tussle to go straight back up.

He said: “Obviously promotion would be nice, but having said that I think it is going to be a really competitive league.

“The teams that were in the league last year seemed to have all strengthened.”

Division 2 has an Oxfordshire flavour to it this year, with five teams from the county.

Fellow relegated side Oxford are up first for Horspath tomorrow and Eason is looking forward to the challenge.

“Oxford should be a good game, a good test for us,” he said.

“The league is very localised this year, there are going to be loads of derby games and it should be really enjoyable.”

Horspath’s home matches are being screened live on the internet this season in what is believed to be a ground-breaking move for club cricket in Oxfordshire.

To watch the games, visit horspathcricket.com and click on the YouTube link.

PLAYERS IN

R Raja (Lancaster), J Stead (Mortimer West End), J Cardy (Abingdon Vale).

PLAYERS OUT

A Mould (Dinton).

TOMORROW’S SQUAD

W Eason, R Eason, J Phillips, Foster, Raja, Ali, Green, Price, Skelton, Faruq, Belcher.

PROMOTED Thame Town are relishing the challenge of competing in Division 2, according to captain Mike Higgs.

The Cherwell League Division 1 champions make their return after relegation in 2012, with a home match against Gerrards Cross.

Seamer Will Rooney has returned, alongside all-rounder Ed Barnett.

And with wicket-keeper Will Simpson, as well as South African all-rounder Matt Macdonald, signing, Higgs is upbeat.

He said: “We had a really good season last year.

“We’re ambitious and hoping to do the best we can.

“We are up for the challenge and looking forward to it.”

Thame have kept every member of last year’s campaign and Higgs added: “The atmosphere and culture at the club is good going into a season where we are going to be challenged.”

PLAYERS IN

W Rooney (Oxford), W Simpson (unattached), E Barnett (unattached), M Macdonald (Astwood Bank).

PLAYERS OUT

None.

TOMORROW’S SQUAD

Higgs, W Sutcliffe, Taylor, Beard, Macdonald, Simpson, Garg, Mushtaq, Furness, Rooney, Lachlan.

CHARLIE Brain is looking forward to freshening up Shipton-under-Wychwood after achieving a burning ambition in becoming captain.

The 30-year-old has replaced Simon Hole as the Division 2 side’s skipper, following in the footsteps of his father Stephen – the club’s chairman.

Left-handed batsman Brain is hoping Shipton will benefit from a change in leadership.

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.”

Shipton, who face Buckingham Town tomorrow, found themselves challenging near the top of the table in the early stages of last year, but a dip in form 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.”

All-rounder Anupam Sanklecha will miss the first few weeks of the season as he awaits the birth of his second child back in India, but opener Joe Barrett returns to the club from Bath.

PLAYERS IN

J Barrett (Bath).

PLAYERS OUT

None.

TOMORROW’S SQUAD

Brain, Hemming, Barrett, Si Hole, Dickinson, Perkin, C Miller, Cross, Wood, S Miller, Brown.

JOSH Smith is urging Aston Rowant to learn from last season’s relegation battle and challenge at the sharp end of the table.

Despite targeting an instant return to the top-flight 12 months ago, Rowant were forced to retain their Division 2 status.

Four wins from their last five matches ensured safety and Smith is optimistic ahead of their season-opener at home to Amersham.

He said: “It puts us in a position where we know we are good enough to compete at the top. It was a bit of a learning curve.”

After disputes with the league last year, allrounder Wes Morrick is now a category 1 player meaning there are no restrictions on his selection.

PLAYERS IN

M Mortimer (Abingdon School), M Hammond (Gloucestershire), R Hopwood (unattached).

PLAYERS OUT

None.

TOMORROW’S SQUAD

Hammond, Eaton, Watling, Smith, Condon, Morrick, Cook, Muttitt, Bethell, Barras, Whatman.