TROWBRIDGE club captain Scott Mitchell hopes the club’s two overseas signings can inspire them to a push towards a promotion challenge this summer.

Mitchell’s men finished one place off the bottom in the West of England Premier League Wiltshire Division last year after winning just five of their 18 league fixtures but are bidding for much better fortunes in 2015.

A large part of Mitchell’s hope is based on Trowbridge retaining the services of South African Wes Marshall, who was the first team’s top scorer last season and plundered 622 runs at an average of 44.43 and also chipped in with 19 wickets.

The 21-year-old is currently playing for Eastern’s back in his homeland and notched his maiden first-class century earlier this month, scoring a fine 103 against KZN-Inland.

Marshall will captain Trowbridge’s first team in 2015 and will be joined in the ranks by compatriot Gareth Harte, an all-rounder who spent last term playing for Kent seconds.

Mitchell said: “They grew up together and are best mates and play a pretty good standard back in South Africa. They are hoping to come over at the end of April, so we can’t wait to see them and get started.

“We are pleased to have Wes back. He scored his first first-class hundred back in South Africa a few weeks ago, so he is a quality player.

“He struggled to get in their first team for the first few games having been over here but once he did he started to hit a few scores and has not left the first team since.

“He got on well with all the boys and they all respect him as a player because of his determination to win.

“What we want is an overseas player who wants to keep coming back to play for us and we hope that in Wes we’ve found that.

“Gareth was playing a few levels above us last season, so we’re really pleased to have signed him. He opened both the bowling and the batting where he was before, so hopefully we’ve added another top player.”

Those two acquisitions have given Mitchell the belief that things will be much brighter on the pitch at the County Ground this summer.

Although a tilt at the league title may be just beyond them, Mitchell is eyeing up a top-three finish which would consolidate the encouraging rebuilding project Trowbridge are currently undertaking.

“Obviously every team is hoping for promotion but the top three is our aim,” said Mitchell.

“We are a young team but we are looking to grow and learn together. We’ll look to do well this season and then we will be one year older and one year wiser, which will help push on next year too.”

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