FRANKTON Cricket Club will be playing premier league cricket next summer.

The club will join local rivals Oswestry, Whitchurch and Wem in the top league after a superb summer which saw the Hardwick Park club win the first division title.

Proud club chairman Phil Wood said the latest success mirrored that enjoyed by the club three decades ago.

He said: “I was captain of the side when we last won the league over 30 years ago, and now as club chairman of the double league winners, men and women, again it makes me especially proud.

“The fact that the club gets promoted to the Premier League, which we didn’t when the side I captained won, is terrific.

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“It would be amazing if those two Frankton sides containing so many loyal club legends past and present could could somehow play each other.”

Mr Wood said the club’s success was no surprise to him or those involved with the running of the club which has earned an underdog status in recent years.

“I must say I am so proud of of our lads for last season, always the underdogs quietly going about our business we secured results when it mattered by playing good cricket,” said Mr Wood.

“We mustn’t forget the achievement of our ladies who won the league and the county finals last season too.

“I am so proud of our great club and can’t wait to see what next season brings.”

Frankton are not alone in toasting promotion as part of the Mansfield Sports Group Shropshire League composition for next season.

Ellesmere will be playing first division cricket next season and join Chelmarsh and Forton in making the step up from the second division where Mere ended runners-up last summer and can now look ahead to joining Chirk in the first division.

Knockin will continue in the second division and Oswestry IIs in division three.

However Cae Glas have been relegated from division five to division six following a poor campaign which saw the Gatacre club end second from bottom and join Knockin IIs.

Ellesmere IIs, Chirk IIs and Cae Glas IIs will compete in division seven next summer with division eight wound up.