PHC will have the privilege of competing in two counties competitions this summer,

The First Division club will continue their involvement in the Western Counties and are poised to rejoin the Central Counties.

“PHC is thrilled to have been invited to participate in the Central Counties competition,” the club said in a statement.

“We see this as a valuable opportunity for our players to showcase and refine their cricket skills while fostering strong community engagement

“Our participation in both the Central and Western County competitions underscores our commitment to the growth and development of cricket, and we look forward to contributing as a dedicated community partner in the sport.”

Also returning are PHC’s First Division rivals Western Stars, who opted not to defend their Central Counties title last year owing to organisational issues which they believed were detrimental to the integrity of the tournament.

However, the club has since had a change of heart and is looking forward to challenging for honours.

“Everybody wanted to get back into it,” former Stars spinner Hasan Durham, who now serves as the club’s cricket director, said.

“Stars have played a big part in Central Counties and we definitely wanted to get back in just so we can start to participate again. We want to continue the tradition of the Central Counties and of the more established teams it’s just us and Devonshire Rec left.

“Obviously Young Men’s Social Club, Police and Nationals are all gone by the wayside, so we want to do our part to keep it going and also help it to go from strength to strength in the future. We are also looking forward to hosting it again when St John’s Field is ready, hopefully next season.”

Durham, who also represented Bermuda and Somerset in Cup Match, is particularly excited that the club’s younger players will receive valuable exposure playing in another competition.

“We are looking at getting our younger players involved and the more cricket that we play the more opportunities they get, so Central Counties adds another opportunity for them to play cricket,” he said.

Kevin Hurdle’s team is presently on a high having clinched promotion to the T20 Premier Division last weekend after finishing runner-up to champions Southampton Rangers.

The draw for this summer’s Central Counties competition has yet to be announced, with Devonshire the defending champions.