SPENCER captain Jonathan Speller believes his side are in a position to mount a successful promotion challenge this season.

After suffering relegation from the Premier Division in 2014, many expected Spencer to bounce straight back to the top tier last summer.

But despite a strong start to the campaign, the club tailed away and eventually finished fifth.

Speller is now adamant his team can improve and push for a promotion spot.

He said: “I feel we can better last season, we want to go up and hopefully we are in a position to do that. We have got the young talent and the squad to take us to the top.

“As captain I obviously want that, but it’s also about building the foundations for more long-term success.

“I want to see younger players concrete themselves in the first-team and compete for places.”

While Speller insists the club played some good cricket last season, he believes the club’s downfall was down to a lack of progress throughout the summer.

“As a team we didn’t really improve throughout the season. We started very strongly but lost it in the second half of the season,” he admitted.

“While other teams improved, we stagnated and that cost us.

“Hopefully this summer we can have a great start but this time maintain it.”

Speller has been delighted with his first pre-season as Spencer captain, and says he has a committed squad to work with as he bids to secure promotion.

“We have a good squad of 15 really committed players. Our preparation has been great,” Speller, who is also Director of Cricket, explained.

“They understand what is needed to get promoted and the sacrifices that need to be made.

“Ultimately we are looking for a little bit more from each player. If we get that we feel we will be in a position to challenge for promotion.”