Hamza sits out Falkland's top flight return

CRICKET: Hampshire starlet joins up but hamstring injury sidelines him for opener at Harpenden

HAMPSHIRE'S Hamza Riazuddin will have to sit out Falkland's first game back in the top flight of the Home Counties Premier League when they go to Harpenden on Saturday.

The 21-year old one-day specialist has joined the Enborne Lodge club, but a hamstring injury means that the player will have to wait until next week to make his Falkland debut when Oxford are the visitors.

Riazuddin, a member of Hampshire's 2009 Friends Provident Trophy-winning squad, is expected to feature in the county's Twenty20 Cup defence in mid-summer but is expected to turn out for Falkland in more than half of their league games following last season's promotion from Division Two West.

“He expects to play 10 or 11 games for us and that will be a big help,” said Falkland skipper George Trewby.

Trewby is also back in action after missing much of last season's campaign with a broken thumb, and plans to lead Falkland on a mission to stabilise their place in the top division.

Falkland's last Division One tenure was short, but Trewby believes that his squad is now in better shape to cope with the level.

“We are looking to stabilise in this league for a couple of season and then kick-on from there,” he said.

“We are not looking at just aiming to survive, but it is important that we get off to a good start. Last time we were in this league we had a bad start and were playing catch-up afterwards.

“But we've got three or four new players from then and we have a good squad as well with players who can come in and do a good job in this league.”

Pace man James Theunissen returns to action, although Falkland will be without Will Challoner and James Morris and have Jon Chandler and youngster Ryan Higgins still to come back into the squad.