A NEW overseas name will grace the Abbey Lawn next season after Bourne Cricket Club snapped up South African ace Robin Gow-Kleinschmidt.
The Springbok, likely to be known as ‘RGK’, replaces the hugely successful Fahad Masood for the 2012 Lincs ECB Premier Division season.
Pakistani paceman Masood was an absolute revelation for Bourne, guiding them to the league tile in 2010 and breaking the Premier Division’s wicket record in his second.
Although Bourne have yet to complete the paperwork for Gow-Kleinschmidt’s move, club chairman Hedley Stroud doesn’t anticipate any difficulties.
Stroud said: “I am sure he will be here for the start of the season.
“Fahad did a great job but two years is probably enough for any overseas player. It will leave us perhaps a little short on the bowling side but nobody could follow what Fahad achieved. We are still hoping to find a third seamer.”
The squad has begun training at Witham Hall School, with Pete Morgan again captaining the Saturday and Sunday first teams.
Tom Bentley and Dirk Binns will share honours for the second teams.
RGK will also be working with at least one of Bourne’s highly successful junior teams during his stay with the club, which begins in less than three months.
Also joining Bourne this year is wicketkeeper Carl Wilson from Skegness – and his first competitive match for the club will be back at his old team on April 21, when the 2012 season commences.
The two new arrivals will be bidding to help 2010 champions Bourne reclaim the county crown, having been dethroned by Bracebridge Heath last time around.
Stroud added: “We lost to Bracebridge at home in June and it was uphill after that. But we had a crack at it.
“We’ve have had a bad start in each of the last two years. Hopefully this will be a slightly different season.
“We have a good group of players and I am confident we have one of the best batting line-ups in the league.”