‘Top three minimum’ – new Portsmouth CC captain Ben Duggan aiming to dispel memories of a ‘very disappointing’ 2021 Southern Premier League season

The former Hampshire Academy opening batter has taken over from James Christian ahead of his fifth season at St Helens.

Christian has stepped down as captain due to his work commitments as a school teacher in Berkshire.

Duggan will lead a new-look Portsmouth side in a Southern Premier League Division 1 campaign that gets underway at Sparsholt this Saturday.

SPL top flight title-winner Steve Warner will open the bowling after swapping a playing role at Salisbury-based South Wilts for a head coach title at Portsmouth.

Warner - good friends with Portsmouth club captain Matt Shaw - is the first external head coach Duggan has known in his time at St Helens.

‘Steve brings a wealth of experience,’ he said. ‘I think he’s won five Premier League titles.

‘I know Steve likes what he’s seen so far in pre-season.’

Portsmouth became embroiled in a relegation battle last year, only staying up by beating Sarisbury in their last game. For a club with ambitions of returning to the top flight, it was a tough summer.

‘It was very disappointing,’ Duggan recalled. ‘The year prior to Covid (2019) we had finished third or fourth with basically the same squad apart from Fraser (Hay, Australian overseas all-rounder).

‘This year we want to compete for the league. Minimum top three finish.

‘When we have our squad fully available, we will have the capacity to do that.’

That won’t be in the first few weeks of the season, though, as opening bowler Joe Kooner-Evans is unavailable due to University commitments.

Sri Lankan overseas all-rounder Minhaj Jaleel has been recruited, though he misses the curtain-raiser this weekend as his visa has yet to be approved.

Jaleel has played 26 first class matches in his native country, with a high score of 144.

He is experienced in English conditions having played for Devon League outfit Bovey Tracey in 2018 and Kent Leaguers Cowdrey in 2019 and 2021.

Duggan has earmarked a top five batting role for Jaleel, who scored 515 league runs for Bovey at 34.33 and who was the third highest runscorer in the Kent League third tier last summer with 653 at 43.53.

Also capable of bowling off-breaks, Jaleel was the leading wicket-taker in the Kent League Division 3 in 2019 with 37 at just 9.08.

‘I am expecting him to make an impact straight away,’ stated Duggan.

Portsmouth have also recruited top order batsman Dan Wimble (Fareham & Crofton) and left arm seamer Ashan Silva (Waterlooville).

Wimble was a consistent runscorer in the Hampshire League, compiling four successive half-centuries in 2019. Last August, he struck 91 against Old Basing and 93 against Burridge 2nds. He has already made an impression at his new club, top scoring with 41 in a friendly loss to Havant.

Rakshith Rao is another new face, the ambidextrous off-spinner - who can bowl left or right arm - contacting the club a few weeks ago after moving to the area for work.

Against that, Portsmouth have lost wicket-keeper Alex Hammond and Dan Wallis who have both moved to London for work reasons. Richard Warner will keep wicket at Sparsholt.