Bovey unveil 6ft 4ins pace bowling all-rounder and free scoring batter as new signings for season ahead

Kriston Yearwood bowling for Bovey Tracey during a midweek warm-up game against the University of Exeter

By CONRAD SUTCLIFFE

BOVEY Tracey have signed all-action all-rounder Seb Ansley from Stoke Gabriel for the season ahead in the Premier Division.

Ansley, who hits a long ball and knows how wickets are taken, has been a first-team pick for Stoke since making his debut in 2013.

As a top-class hockey player – Ansley turned out in the National League for Loughborough while a student there – cricket has taken second place in his sporting diary at times.

A league batting average of 37.75 over 40 games, never mind 55 wickets at less than 19 runs each, suggest Ansley has plenty to offer when he does play.

Now Ansley plays hockey at a lower level for Ashmoor with Bovey Tracey CC captain Lewis Hammett, fixture clashes are a thing of the past.

It is a big step up from C Division cricket with Stoke Gabriel to the top flight with Bovey, but Hammett is confident Ansley can deal with it..

“Seb is a seriously talented athlete who is looking to play at a higher level of cricket,” said Hammett.

“He comes with a good sporting pedigree and joins a competitive squad and adds in all three departments. 

“Seb has already shown glimpses of what he will bring at training and in two friendly games.”

Jack Tolley, the Stoke Gabriel captain, said he tried to persuade Ansley to stay but accepts he wants to test himself at the top level.Kriston Yearwood | Photo: Mark Lockett

“I told Seb that I hope he does really well, but if and when the time comes for him to leave Bovey I hope Stoke is the place he chooses,” said Tolley.

Ansley will be one of two new faces in the Bovey dressing room this summer. The other belongs to all-rounder Kriston Yearwood, who made his club debut in the friendly win at Tavistock last Saturday.

Yearwood is a young cricketer from Montserrat in the Leeward Islands chain in the West Indies and is one of three under-19 players from the island sent to the UK for development purposes. 

Yearwood bats left-handed, bowls right-arm pace and is also a member of the Montserrat national basketball squad. At 6ft 4ins tall he is built for fast bowling and basketball.

Montserrat is a British Overseas Territory rather than a sovereign state in its own right, and for that reason Yearwood holds a UK passport.

Hammett said he liked what he saw of Yearwood in the win at Tavistock,

“Tavistock presented very different conditions to what Kriston is used to back home, but he showed glimpses of talent,” said Hammett.

“He looks to be aggressive with the bat and hits it hard.

“Bowling conditions weren't ideal for him – it was cold and the pitch was very low and slow – but he showed promise. 

“ I look forward to Kriston getting used UK conditions. I think he could win us a game or two with bat or ball.”