Hornchurch Athletic captain Sam Samarasekera insists the club has never been in a better place after sealing a switch over to the Essex League and bagging a new long-term sponsor.

The Hylands Park-based outfit’s first team are making the move over to Hamro Foundation Essex League Division Three when the new season begins.

They’ve also secured a three-year sponsorship deal with Kingfisher beer, which will be on their kits and stocked in the bar for the campaign.

“The club is in the best place it’s ever been, so many new members, and we’ve always been a club where people enjoy coming out on Saturday,” the captain said.

“Last season was strange but it really reinvigorated people as we were getting easily four or five teams out on the Saturday - albeit all friendly cricket - and two Sunday games sometimes.

“We’ve been accepted into the Essex League so our first XI has moved over to that, so that’s going to be a big challenge and a change of format, and I'd imagine it will be the highest we’ve played since the National Premier, which was six years ago or so.”

Samarasekera, who is now in his third stint as captain, believes it’s now the right time for the club to take a step up.

“When I first started for the first team we played in the Lord’s International Premier League. It was a really good standard and we had a really good side.

“Unfortunately we went through a period where we lost a few players and were then getting mullered every week. We lost a lot of members off the back of that so we moved to the T-Rippon but the standard wasn’t as good.

“It was exactly what the club needed at the time, going out to these lovely village grounds, and there was some good cricket. It would be doing it a disservice to say otherwise, but it wasn’t as intense as the Lord’s International was or what the Essex League will be.”

The skipper added: “We’ve got a good mix of young and old. Paul Humphries is the all-time leading run scorer, he’s more of a bowler but he left us when we went to Mid-Essex. He’s played at Brentwood and Leigh-on-Sea since but he’s back and will also be club coach.

“We’ve got a few others that have come back after having kids. Then we have some really good young players coming through so we’ve got a good mix of young and old.

“I feel we’re ready to go for it now.”