CONSISTENCY is key for a youthful Netherfield side if they are to build on this season’s mid-table finish, according to club captain Marc Brown.

For the second year in succession, Brown lifted silverware as the Parkside Road club bolstered their trophy collection by retaining their TWP Wealth Twenty20 crown against Blackpool in July.

But inconsistency in the Northern Cricket League saw them finish eighth place with seven wins, nine defeats, three draws and six abandonments.

“Everyone looks at your league form,” said Brown. “With the average age of 21.5 the team is always going to be inconsistent. I am the oldest amateur player in the team and I am 26 and that youthfulness has mirrored where we have finished in the league.

“We finished 10th last year so that’s two spots progress. You’re a mid-table team when you win a couple of games, but then lose a couple, so it is just about trying to build that consistency for next season.

“Having a young team bodes well for the future as long as we stay together. We have now got to think about where we want to go. We have got a few things to work towards and see how we progress in the future.”

In the league, Sri Lankan professional Saliya Saman finished with 486 runs to his name, an average of 36. Saman also took 46 wickets from 311 overs.

“Sammy has done a very good job for the club,” said Brown. “It was close deciding if we were going to retain him. He has performed every year he has played in the UK - I just don’t think he did enough with the ball to be retained but he produced some big performances for us and has had a reasonable year so it’s not like he has been an absolute failure.

“Also, Australian Ben Philips is only 19. For his first year abroad his stats don’t jump off the page but I think everyone who has played against us has seen the ability he has and he hopes to come back next year. He is in our plans and we would love to get him back.”

Turning his attention towards sourcing a replacement for Saman, Brown added: “We will speak to various people including agents. You always go with people you trust but searches go out far and wide so it can be a long process.”

Netherfield wrapped up the season with a winning draw against Leyland on Saturday. Leyland came within four runs of claiming victory but tight bowling and tactical nous secured the positive result for Field.

“We probably were a few runs short,” admitted Brown. “Pro-active batting early on from Sammy and Ben Philips got us off to a good start.

“Considering we were about 30 runs short for the pitch we dug in deep and pulled off a winning draw.

“We adopted an in-out field tactic to cover boundaries but also restrict singles at the same time. They had a couple of young lads that were making their debuts who came in at a time when the pressure was on to get the runs so we tried to get them on strike and the plan worked perfectly so I was really pleased.”