Chipstead has moved swiftly to replace their original overseas with Sri Lankan speedster, Dhanushka Ranasinghe, for their upcoming Surrey Championship season.

Ranasinghe is a left-arm quick playing for Kandy Customs Sports Club in Sri Lankan domestic cricket.

Ranasinghe can lay claim to holding the best debut figures in Sri Lankan first-class history when bagging 8-76 (23.3) against Sri Lankan Army (March 2020). He would go on to take 10 wickets in the match (10-97).

Prior to his first-class debut, Ranasinghe had spent the past four years plying his trade in Qatar. He dominated Premier League cricket following a glittering junior and school career in Sri Lanka. Prior to his move to Kandy Customs Sports Club (2023), Ranasinghe was a mainstay of the Panadura squad since COVID where he impressed across all formats.

During the 2022 SLC Major Clubs Limited Overs Tournament, he starred taking 16 wickets at 20.90. This, alongside his 12 wickets at 261.6 in T20 cricket, makes him a stand-out left-arm quick in Sri Lankan domestic cricket.

The Kandy star is now set to showcase his talent in the UK having signed with Chipstead for their 2024 Surrey Championship campaign.

Tewkesbury will see the return of their Sri Lankan star, Randeera Ranasinghe, for a third WEPL stint this summer.

Ranasinghe is an exceptional prospect playing alongside legendary CricX star Ravi Karunaratne for Kurunegala Youth Cricket Club in Sri Lanka.

A schoolboy prodigy, Ranasinghe excelled for his College 1st XI, with whom he skippered, and was named runner-up at the 2017/18 Dialog Cup Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year award ceremony as the best “batter” and “all-rounder”.

A quick bowler and hard-hitting batter, between 2016 and 2019, Ranasinghe represented the Sri Lankan Under-19s, playing in various Asia Cup tournaments.

After dominating youth cricket, the all-rounder was fast-tracked into the Kurunegala Youth Cricket Club squad for the 2018/19 season. He made his debut across the three formats, with the highlight an 83 in first-class cricket.

The following season, Ranasinghe enjoyed a breakthrough summer on the domestic circuit, particularly in red-ball cricket. Towards the backend of the season, the all-rounder was named skipper and he celebrated the honour with a blistering century (138 from 151 balls) against Sri Lanka Navy Sports Club. Coming in at number 8 with KY 77-6, Ranasinghe belted Navy to all parts hitting 12 fours and 7 sixes, helping his team to a first innings score of 325.

Unfortunately, COVID put pay to first-class cricket in 2020/21, however, Ranasinghe continued to shine in white-ball cricket, this time with the ball.

He was KY’s shining light with the rock taking 10 wickets at 20.80 and 12 wickets at 15 in List A and T20 respectively. His aggressive bowling, particularly in the latter, helped KY to the T20 semi-final. Ranasinghe finished amongst the leading wicket-takers, grabbing a wicket every 11 balls all with an impressive economy rate of 8.18.

The young gun really is a star in the making and to continue his development he spent a season with Driffield Town for their 2021 Yorkshire Premier League North campaign. Whilst he didn’t set the strong ECB Premier League alight, he showed glimpses of his undoubted potential.

Ranasinghe returned to the UK, and has spent the past two seasons with Tewkesbury in the West of England Premier League. He was a stand-out performer, and across both seasons (and all formats) scored 1,285 runs at 38.94 with 3 centuries, alongside 70 wickets at 18.19.

The talented all-rounder has been a stand-out for Tewkesbury and given his success, the club has re-signed him for a third WEPL campaign in 2024.

Littletown move quickly to sign Hyderabad All-Rounder

Saketh Palakodety, a hugely talented spin bowling all-rounder has recently played for Hyderabad during the Indian domestic season.

The right-arm off-spinner has sparkled on his return to the domestic fold this year, following 24 matches across the three formats between 2017 and 2020. After 5 Ranji Trophy matches this summer, the tweaker bagged 12 wickets at 17.08 with best figures of 4-33 against Meghalaya.

Saketh originally broke into the Hyderabad side back in November 2017, but despite useful performances, failed to command a regular spot. COVID then struck, but following his exploits at A Division level for Central Exercise and Customs Cricket Club, he returned to the fold earlier this year.

A former State under age (U19, U22) star, Saketh has been a stand-out in Ranji Trophy this year with the ball. Given Hyderabad’s batting success, he has yet to feature with bat-in-hand but he has previously enjoyed several notable innings and currently averages 35.50 in his 12 first-class innings. At A Division level, he is a genuine all-rounder.

He is now set to feature for Littletown CC for their upcoming Durham and North East Division One campaign.

Cuckfield is delighted to announce the signing of Women’s Overseas Player, Flora Devonshire, for their 2024 Sussex League season.

Devonshire is an exceptional talent playing for the Central Hinds in New Zealand domestic cricket.

The young all-rounder from the Hawkes Bay has enjoyed a whirlwind 18-months and now finds herself firmly on New Zealand Women’s radar.

A stand-out player through the Hawkes Bay and Central Districts pathway system, Devonshire was a key member of the CD U19s that won the national title in January 2022.

Later that year, Devonshire was handed a Central Hinds ‘A’ (Nov 2022), having already featured for the New Zealand U19s. Later that month, she had to put her University studies on hold, following New Zealand Development selection for their tour to India.

Following her successful trip abroad, she earned a Hinds T20 debut on her return (Dec 2022) in the Dream 11 Women’s Super Smash. A month later (Jan 2023), she would make her List A debut for the Hinds in the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield.

Devonshire was named as CD Women’s “Emerging Player of the Year” in 2022/23, and has since become an integral member of the Central Hinds squad, batting in the middle-order and bowling left-arm spin, where she has been used occasionally to open the bowling.

Originally known for her hard-hitting batting, Devonshire has developed into a genuine left-arm spin bowler in recent years, having previously bowled medium pace. In-fact, it’s her ability (and versatility) with the ball that has peaked national interest.

Now the aspiring cricketer is now looking for a career in the game having recently finished her Accounting and Economics degree from the University of Canterbury.

Holder of a British Passport, Devonshire is set to travel overseas this summer to play for Cuckfield in the Sussex League.

Plympton is pleased to announce the signing of Pakistani run machine, Shahbaz Javed, for their 2024 Devon League campaign.

Javed is an exciting wicket-keeper batter who burst onto the domestic scene this summer.

Playing for Ghani Glass, in the prestigious President’s Trophy Grade 1 (first-class), alongside Pakistan international players including Saad Nasim, Hussain Talat, Sharjeel Khan, and Shan Masood, it’s fair to say Javed impressed.

In his 5 first-class matches (President’s Trophy Grade 1), he struck 4 half centuries, namely 74 (v Sui Northern), 74 (v Khan RL), and 71 & 50 (v HEC) to finish the tournament with 371 runs at 33.72. Courtesy of his exploits, he was named the ‘Wicket-Keeper / Batter’ of the tournament.

However, it’s the way he goes about his batting that really impressed. A player with seemingly endless time and ability to hit boundaries at will from top of the order were key to his success. Javed boasts both power and finesse, plus the ability to covert his starts into notable contributions.

Whilst known as a keeper in the first-class arena, Javed is also a useful leg-spinner who has been a regular at the bowling crease in tournaments below domestic cricket over the years.

Now he has impressed in domestic cricket, he is eager to showcase his talent abroad having signed with Plympton for their 2024 Devon League campaign.

Bishop’s Stortford is pleased to confirm the signing of Roy Kaia to replace original pro, Henry Hunt, for their upcoming season.

Kaia is one of Zimbabwe cricket’s most prolific domestic all-rounders who, after years of toil, finally earned a Test debut against the touring Pakistanis (May 2021).

Coming in at 30-4, Kaia top-scored for Zimbabwe, hitting 48 from 94 balls with 7 boundaries, which helped his side to a first-innings total of 176. Unfortunately for Kaia, he would only score 11 runs in his next 5 innings (and 2 Test matches), and would subsequently be dropped after only 3 Tests.

His return to the national fold was, quite frankly, well overdue. Since his domestic debut back in February 2009, Kaia has racked up over 6,000 runs and 180 wickets across the three formats.

Following an impressive junior career, where he represented Zimbabwe Under-19s on 16 occasions, with best performances of 5-25 (v Pakistan) and 60* (from 56 balls), 4-49, and 3-23 (v South Africa), including the wicket of England Test opener Keaton Jennings (twice), Kaia broke into provincial cricket in 2009, making his first-class and List-A debuts for Centrals.

Thereafter, he has featured for the Mountaineers, before returning to the Rocks for the 2020/21 season. The all-rounder enjoyed a barnstorming 2014/15 domestic season, particularly in the one-day format, topping the Pro50 Championship run charts (381 runs at 56.20). His exploits culminated with his ODI debut for Zimbabwe against Pakistan In May 2015, but unfortunately, the weather curtailed his involvement, with the game ending in a no result.

Despite dominant performances at domestic level, Kaia only returned to the national fold in May 2021. Quite frankly, he gave selectors no choice but to pick him!

In 2019/20, he took 15 wickets at 18.20 and scored 238 runs at 26.44 in Zimbabwe’s Logan Cup. The following summer, after helping Takashinga Cricket Club to the National Cricket League title, courtesy of his Man of the Tournament award, Kaia continued to shine in the Logan Cup. He was the tournament’s best performer, topping both the run and averages (min 100 runs) with 374 runs @ 62.33, and was the 5th leading wicket-taker (12 wickets at 15.50)! His exploits helped his Southern Rocks to the Logan Cup title.

Over the past two seasons, Kaia hasn’t been quite so prolific with the bat in Logan Cup cricket, hitting 451 runs at 41 (2021/22) and 232 runs at 19.33 (2022/23). However, he has been a solid performer with the ball, particularly during the most recent season taking 16 wickets at 25.62 including career-best figures of 7-58.

Not content with his domestic dominance, Kaia has also excelled abroad during two prior stints in English League cricket. After an injury-curtailed season with Cumbria League club Haverigg (2018), which included 35 wickets at 16.08, he returned to excel for Bognor Regis in the Sussex League in 2019. He was one of the division’s shining lights, taking 46 wickets at 11.37 and scoring 534 runs at 48.55.

In 2022, Kaia ventured to Europe to play for Svanholm Cricketklub in Denmark. This was a fleeting trip, as he was selected to play against Nepal for Zimbabwe A in May 2022, then unfortunately a family bereavement thereafter curtailed chances of a return. He agreed terms with Donemana in Northern Ireland in 2023, but was denied an NOC by Zimbabwe Cricket.

Now in possession of an NOC, Kaia is set to travel back to the UK this summer having signed with Bishop’s Stortford for their 2024 Hertfordshire League campaign.