Star aiming for prem three-peat

Members of Hamilton Star University Cricket Club's premier team are eyeing a "threepeat" of titles entering the 2015-2016 season.

The club will defend two premier trophies this summer: the Eddy Marr Bowl for round-robin two-day cricket, and the Howden Cup for victory in the three-day Hamilton Cricket Association premier final.

Two Sir Edmund Hillary Scholars are included in the club's Premier side - Arnie Yugaraja and Sam Cooper - along with numerous other Waikato University students, among them captain Freddy Walker, batsmen Chris Fawcett and Jake Harvey and allrounder Elliot Santner. A number of the club's premier players represented Hamilton in the 2014-2015 season.

"Although premier success has been important in recent years - and remains so - for 2015-2016 a focus also goes on building the club's player roster and strengthening lower-grade teams in the A, B and C leagues," says board member Jeff Neems.

"We want to be competitive across the grades. Premier success is the pinnacle in club cricket anywhere, but a strong club has competitive teams in all the trophy races."

Neems says new players are always welcome.

"We're one of the biggest and most established clubs in the city, we enter a team in every grade, and the board strives to make cricket affordable by working hard on funding and keeping fees down.

"Regardless of your background, playing experience or skill and fitness level, we can slot you into a team. It's just a case of showing you're committed and making it clear to us what your cricket plans are, both for the season and on a week-by-week basis."

Players keen to play for club in 2015-2016 should:

- Email name and contact details to starvarsity@hotmail.com

- Visit the Sunday afternoon training sessions, from 1pm until the start of daylight savings, at the Waikato University cricket nets (access via Gate 3A, Silverdale Rd).

- Attend pre-season registration day on Thursday, October 1 from 5pm at the Waikato University nets

- Ask to join the Hamilton Star University Cricket Club group on Facebook.

During the season, the senior C and senior B teams train on Mondays from 5pm at the Waikato University nets. The premier and senior A training session is on Tuesday night, at the same time and place. A full club training involving all teams is held on Thursday night, at the same time and place.