Ashington CC announce the signing of a new professional for the 2025 season

The Langwell Crescent outfit were also delighted to announce the signing of Sri Lankan Avishka Perera as their new professional for the 2025 season.

Sean McCafferty – who has just relinquished the captaincy of the first team after six-and-a-half years – has been instrumental in the negotiations and he said: “We’ve organised it through CricX the sports agency, and Avishka – a young 23-year-old batter – has come highly recommended.

“The playing selection committee recognised, certainly towards the end of the season, that we wanted a top order batter and this lad is a former Sri Lankan under-19 international. He’s dominated age group cricket and has taken the steps into first class cricket in Sri Lanka, and we just feel he fits the mould of what we are as a club.”

He continued: “It’s obviously very difficult to watch players, but we have seen a lot of videos of him on YouTube and it was a case of trying to find someone who is mainly going to add value on the pitch, but also fit in and add value off it.

“With the group of lads we have got it’s so important that someone buys into that and we believe Avishka will do this. Consequently, I’m excited to welcome him to Ashington and hope to watch him have a really successful season.”

He went on: “I’ve worked with the agency and they have been a massive help.

“You take a bit of a gamble on any pro that you get but I’ve got a really good feeling about Avishka and I think from the little conversations I’ve had with him that he’s going to fit in just fine, and I wish him all the best.”

Club chair Steve Storey said: “We are absolutely delighted to welcome Avishka to our club for next season. He is an exciting player who will be a great addition to our team to help us build on our success this season.”

Apart from their success in the Bobby Smithson Cup, Ashington’s first XI finished third in the Premier Division of the North East Premier League.