Stratford head of cricket David Smith believes this season can be viewed as mission accomplished after the Panthers recovered from a difficult start in the Warwickshire Cricket League Premier Division.

A number of departures over the winter, along with injuries to key players, gave Smith plenty to contend with in his first season in the role.

However, as availability improved, Stratford responded well and climbed back towards mid-table.

Smith is satisfied with how the campaign has unfolded and believes it has laid strong foundations for the future as the club targets a push up the table in 2027.

“In terms of where we were, to finish relatively mid-table, it is mission accomplished,” he said.

“We knew it was going to be a challenge this year with injuries and the players we lost.

“At the start of the season we wanted to compete and finish as high as possible, and at one stage that looked a bit worrying, but the players showed their resilience and we stuck together.

“We have pretty much achieved what we set out to do. We now have a good foundation to build on, we will look to recruit well over the winter and then push towards the top half of the league, before challenging for promotion in 2028.

“It takes time - it is a big rebuild and we needed to go through this to understand what is required.”

On Saturday, Stratford were beaten by eight wickets by high-flying Marston Green after their total of 219-9 was chased down with ease.

Batting first, the Panthers made a decent start but were unable to fully build on it, with John Stratton top-scoring with 47.

The innings never quite gathered full momentum as Marston Green’s bowlers kept things under control, with Shahzeb Raja taking 3-42 and Usman Ahmed 3-33 to restrict the visitors to 219-9.

In reply, Marston Green chased down the target comfortably, reaching 220-2 in just 36.4 overs. Ghlab Shah led the way with 57, while Usman Khan made 65 and Faizan Khan added 51 in a dominant batting display.

Key partnerships proved decisive, with Shah and Usman Khan putting on 77 for the second wicket, before Khan and Faizan Khan added a further 106 for the third wicket to see their side comfortably home.

The Panthers end their season with a trip to Streetly this Saturday.

Stratford 2nds had to settle for a draw despite posting a competitive 187-9 from their 50 overs against Leamington Khalsa.

Henry Hopkins led the way with 48, sharing a key stand of 83 for the fourth wicket with Simon Heath to rebuild the innings after early setbacks.

Stratford were unable to fully accelerate late on, with Sushant Rana the pick of the visitors’ bowlers with 2-18 as the hosts collected 16 points.

In reply, Stratford’s bowlers kept a tight grip on proceedings to deny Khalsa any chance of chasing the target down.

Sajid Khan top scored with 31, but wickets fell at regular intervals as the visitors closed on 129-8 from their 50 overs.

Harry Bailey impressed with the ball, returning figures of 2-12, as Stratford controlled the game to secure the draw and take the bulk of the points.