STUART Wedge says younger players will get their chance to impress as he prepares to herald a new era at Himley CC.

The 25-year-old leads the Stourbridge Road side into the new Birmingham Premier League campaign at home against Shrewsbury on Saturday (noon start), after taking over from Greg Wright.

And the seamer is clearly anticipating a year of transition at the club, after refusing to set any firm targets.

He said: “There’s no doubt we have a talented side but I’m not going to say ‘we are aiming for this’ or ‘we are going to do that.’ “I’m confident if we play to the best of our abilities we will be able to stay out of trouble.

“We’ve lost a few players - some of which were surprising - but we are keen to give our younger players a chance and bring them through.

“We are keen to build the club up and this is a bit of a progression year. The main aim is to enjoy it mostly.”

Himley saw batsmen Harshad Patel, Dan Bassett and Dan Cox head out of the door during the close season and also suffered a blow when popular all-rounder TP Singh was unable to return due to Visa issues.

But much excitement surrounds the capture of former Indian Test player and Mumbai skipper Wasim Jaffer, while the club have also brought in Worcestershire’s Nick Harrison and Richard Jones.

Wedge, who has been with the club since the age of 16, says he is relishing the challenge the captaincy will bring. And he is also backing former skipper Wright to flourish now he is free to concentrate on his batting.

He said: “It’s a lot more strenuous than when you are just a player, I can tell you.

“When you are just a player you tend to just turn up and get on with things, as captain there are far more things to consider and get done in the week.

“It will be a good challenge.

“Obviously, Greg is still here and I think not having the captaincy will be good for him.

“There were a lot of stresses and strains on him over the last couple of years and I think this is a chance for a fresh start.

“I’m hoping he fires with the bat.”