Old Buckenham captain Matt Bint hails every member of side after clinching Lacons Brewery Norfolk Cricket Alliance Division One title

Old Buckenham captain Matt Bint hailed every individual in his side (207-9) for contributing towards their Lacons Brewery Norfolk Cricket Alliance Division One title victory, secured with a 58-run victory at Lowestoft Town (149) on Saturday.

Old Bucks pipped second-placed Swardeston II to the trophy by 13 points but stormed to promotion, as they finished 44 points inside the top-two spots to end a three-year wait for a return to the Premier Division - the county’s top tier.

Skipper Matt Bint (48) starred with the bat for the visitors on Saturday in an opening trio that propelled the away side to a score of 150-3 – as Glen Meredith (39) and Oli Howes (41) also put up impressive totals.

Ben Baldwin also performed well, carrying his bat for 45, and Old Bucks were not to be punished for their lower scores further down the batting order as Ian Harrison (4-21) picked up a four-wicket haul with the ball.

“It was a really good feeling (to achieve promotion and win the title),” said Bint.

“The hard work we’ve put in across not only this season, but the past three years as a club and as a first XI, to get back to the Premier Division was a real sense of satisfaction for a lot of the lads who have been there a long time.

“We’re just excited to get back playing in the Premier Division and testing ourselves against some of the best cricketers in the county.”

Matt Bint, who took over as first-team captain from Rob Goodwin at the start of the campaign, has been at Old Bucks since he was eight years old, and admitted promotion was ‘made more special’ by achieving it with other players who he came through the club’s youth system with: Glen and Joel Meredith, Dan Bint and Matthew Heuschneider.

But the skipper refused to single out any player for individual praise across the season.

“I think the most pleasing thing for us as a club was that the first team squad all contributed this season,” he said.

“It was a real team effort from everyone, with everyone putting in contributions to win a match, which was really pleasing to have everyone impacting games throughout the season.

“I wouldn’t want to single anyone out as a player of the season, it was more so the whole squad that helped get us to that number one spot in the league.”

He added: “To be captaining the club I’ve played at since I was eight years old was a really proud moment for me. It was also great to be playing with guys that I’ve played with since I was that age.”