Fourth team skipper Lalith Thantirimudali came to Radlett expecting to relax in the sun watching his 2 sons play but has ended up captaining one team and managing another.
In many ways the 4s are the heart and soul of the club, giving our juniors the chance to make their first steps in senior cricket with the guidance of experienced players who have spent years in the game.

It has also seen many father and son combinations lining up in the same side, and Lalith is proudly carrying on that tradition.

He said: "I'm fairly new, this is my second season. When I joined it was because I wanted my 2 sons to play at Radlett, I did not expect to be playing myself but then while watching I thought OK, if there's a chance I will give it a go. "Of course it happened right away, they were short of players for the first few matches and I, said 'Ok, why not?'"

Lalith's son, U15 player Romiru, also lines up for the 4s and he said: "Of course it is great to play with him, it's such a great feeling.

"It is the pathway for juniors to start off in senior cricket, we have to open the path for the boys who have that potential to come and play with us. Many of them have that ambition that they do not want just to play under-15 or under-16 to play senior cricket but play adult cricket too, they have that excitement and when they play with us they learn to adapt to senior cricket and it's a great platform for them.

"They get more experience and learn from the adults how to plan a game, where we should defend, where we should attack, they will learn all styles of cricket. It's a good opportunity to learn and do things differently.

"It's the best opportunity to start the journey into senior cricket. When they are batting or bowling there is always an adult at the other side to advise and help them. And because there are 40 overs there is no rush, so they have enough time to play and learn.
"We have a responsibility to the parents to help the junior players and to give them the opportunity fairly and look after them.

"This season we're going to introduce even more junior players, we have many more knocking on the door to play so my target is to introduce as many as possible to senior cricket this year. It's very exciting."

As well as helping develop players Lalith is also aiming to play a winning brand of cricket and get the 4s heading up the table after a difficult campaign last year.

He said: "Last season we lost 4-5 games to the weather and not having enough players, so this year I really want to make sure we play every game, that's my first target. I think last season we were 3rd from last in the league and this year we can definitely put up a good fight and be up towards the top. My target is the top four if possible.

"Being captain of the 4s is definitely a place you can help many young players and also some other ways we can help people who are keen to play, especially from the Asian community there are people who have played at school or in other countries like Sri Lanka or Pakistan but have not played in England. Potentially they are good players so we can give them an opportunity to have another go."

As well as captaining the 4s Lalith also manages our under-15 side and he said: "I thought I should help the kids and do something, so far it has been good, the parents are a big help and we're planning to give it a good go this year.

"Radlett is a happy place to play cricket, the environment is so good and the club is so welcoming, that's one of the main things I have seen. I really like this place, I have had experience before with other clubs and altogether it is definitely the best place I have been.
"It's not just the juniors, even as an adult we need to try to win wherever possible, but you can't win every day and when we lose a game we need to absorb it, take a lesson from it and show the youngsters how we can improve for the next game or the next season.

"The club is also full of guys who have experience playing for Radlett and also captaining senior matches for many years so from that point of view I'm lucky as there are at least 4 or 5 players here who have done this role before and can help me out."