CAPTAIN Mark Evenson was full of praise for Bromsgrove CC’s players after his side clinched promotion to the Birmingham and District League Premier Division on Saturday.

Despite their game at Old Hill abandoned because of a waterlogged pitch, Bromsgrove secured the second promotion spot in Division One, after the only team able to catch them, Stratford, lost at home to Cannock.

The result ensured that Bromsgrove will play in the Premier Division for the first time in its history in the 2009 season.

“It’s a great honour to have guided the team into the Premier Division for the first time, but the whole squad needs to take the credit because they have performed excellently week-in, week-out,” said Evenson.

“It all started last season, when we had a good run at the end and we have built on it from there.

“One of our problems in the past has been getting runs, but guys like Alexei Kervezee and Omar Ali have played really well this season.

“We’ve been able to record decent scores, which has given us a platform to build on in games.

“Once we get over 200 runs we've always had the bowlers to give us a good chance of winning games.”

Bromsgrove’s mix of gifted young batsmen such as Alexei Kervezee and Omar Ali and experienced players like Nick Husbands and Lyndon Jones, has given the club the right blend of success and the captain is confident that they can compete in the top flight.

Evenson said: “I think we’ve got a young squad of 15 players that is just clicking into together.

“We all know our games very well and we’re looking forward to an interesting season taking on teams like Barnt Green and Walsall.

“Our main priority will be to stay up and if we do that then we’ll see where we go from there.”

With their game abandoned at Old Hill a contingent from the club watched Stratford, who had pulled out all the stops to play their clash, lose by 12 runs.

Stratford had made 112 all out and Cannock made 124-8 in reply.

“Stratford moved heaven and high water to make sure their game went ahead but credit to Cannock they played very well to win the game,” commented Evenson.

“When Stratford lost we went back to Bromsgrove and celebrated going up.

Bromsgrove have traditionally been slow starters in the division and have needed a fine second half of the season to ensure their place in Division One.

This year they bucked the trend by carving out a five-game unbeaten start to the campaign.

Looking ahead to next summer, Evenson is also keen keep hold of the captain’s armband and help the club build on a successful season.

“I’d definitely love the challenge of guiding the team next season after captaining us to promotion.

“We have to take on some established and experienced sides, but that is all part of the excitement,” added the captain.