SIMON Beetham has described as “the highlight of my cricketing career” his appointment as captain of Southern Premier League Lymington.

The 22-year-old all-rounder, who also plays for Dorset, takes the reins following Ali Jaffer’s decision to stand down after one season in the position.

Beetham, whose vice-captain will be Ed Ellis, said: “The club has offered me a great opportunity and I am very much looking forward to the start of the season.

“We are keen to promote our young players and build for the future.

“Ed Ellis is a very talented player and will play a vital part in our team for years to come.

“I feel that I can bring a lot to the role of captain, having played in the league for Lymington for four years. I am now one of the more senior players in the team and am ambitious for the team and club to do well.

“When I captained the side last season, I enjoyed it. The senior players were supportive and encouraging. I am still relatively inexperienced and will look to learn as much as I can from my team-mates who have considerable experience at this level and higher.

“We have good continuity from last season and all the guys are keen to get going again. We are all looking forward to seeing which Australian academy player we get, as Scott Henry was a valuable addition to the team, club and dressing room last season.

“We will look to be more consistent this season and my goal will be to lead the team to getting more positive results. Our main aim will be to win one of the pennants and to have a more successful run in the timed and T20 formats.”