CLEOBURY Mortimer skipper Ed Kemp admitted he was ‘gutted’ after the weather prevented his side continuing last season’s promotion momentum into the new campaign.

Mortimer were set to host Abergavenny in the Marches League Division One opener but the rain put paid to that fixture, along with many others across regional cricket.

Kemp’s side visit Builth Wells this Saturday and the captain hopes the weather relents so his team can find out the sort of challenge that awaits in the top flight.

He said: “The covers were on last Thursday and we thought we had a good chance of playing. We had a very strong team out too so we were pretty gutted it was called off.

“Only two teams in our league played so it would have been nice to get some early points on the board.

“Ross-on-Wye got a bit of a bashing and they were the team that beat us to the title so we know the league is going to be tough but we have a committed group of lads.”