The future is looking bright for Ammanford Cricket Club.

That may be a strange thing to read following their abject relegation from the Premier League last season, but every cloud has a silver lining, and the summer of 2014 will present a golden opportunity for local young talent to step forward and show themselves good enough to play for the senior teams.

With Ammanford back in the South Wales Cricket Association, they automatically lose their two Glamorgan squad members, Andrew Salter and Jack Murphy. Salter will play for Newport and Murphy for Neath.

Rhydian Harris and Matthew Donoghue have also left the club to play for their local outfits.

That immediately leaves four prime places up for grabs for the local boys, and gives them the chance to show that a genuine Ammanford team is good enough to get back into the Premier League. Alun Evans and Matthew Fisher will provide an experienced and extremely talented nucleus for the club to build around.

Away from the senior teams, the junior section of the club is blossoming, so much so that the groups have had to be split due to the rise in numbers. Under-11s are now coached on a Friday evening, whilst 12+ players meet on a Monday evening. A new Junior Committee is kept very busy ensuring that the future of the game at Ammanford is secure.

Ammanford’s first league game of the new season is against Aberdare at the Park on Saturday 3rd May, wickets pitched at 1.30pm. Ammanford’s skipper Alun Evans will be keen to demonstrate from the first ball that last season’s lustreless season was a mere blip.

Nathan Jones will lead the seconds at Aberdare, eager to build on the side’s excellent performances last season.