THE North Wales Cricket League Premier Division finally gets underway this weekend, with a host of teams in with a shout of securing the overall crown.

It promises to be the most competitive top flight campaign in recent memory thanks to strong new arrivals in Pwllheli and Northop, and sports reporter Dean Jones gives his predictions ahead of the opening series of fixtures.

Champions: Menai Bridge

Dion Holden has assembled a powerful looking squad that are capable of going one better and getting their hands on the title once again.

The arrival of overseas star Patrick Glover will soften the blow of Zach Ringrose’s departure, while Jack Gower will undoubtedly have benefitted from a winter plying his trade in Australia.

The arrival of Ed Gatsby is another huge addition to their batting line-up, and if they can show the form of the first stage of last season then they are going to be very hard to stop.

Dangers:

Bangor:

The defending champions will not be far away once again this time around, although they will be hampered by the significant loss of Francois Mostert, the overseas start who was a class apart at times last season.

New Zealander Matt Kelly will have to hit the ground running to give them the best possible chance of succeeding, but their batting attack promises to have plenty of firepower led by the likes of skipper Robbie Marshall and Matt Haswell.

St Asaph:

The city side will not be the surprise package they were last term, so Will Ryan’s men will have to be wary of being one of the fancied sides with more pressure on their shoulders.

They are a tight-knit bunch that possess a great deal of strength in depth, something that has been bolstered by the arrival of Duncan Midgley and the impending return of Nathanael Scott.

All this bodes well for the upcoming campaign and there will be plenty that fancy St Asaph to be at the summit once the fixtures have concluded.

Llandudno:

The 2016 champions have made some eye-catching moves in their pursuit of the title, with Sam Rimmington and Keegan Armstrong offsetting the loss of Robin Smith.

Inconsistency was a key factor in them failing to retain the crown last term, and this will need to improve significantly if they are to trouble those fighting it out for the title.

There is plenty to suggest this can be achieved, and Tudno are more than a match for any of the sides in the division on their day.

Dark horse: Denbigh

New captain Harrison Jones has plenty of experience for someone so young, and how he copes with the additional responsibility will go a long way to determining their fortunes this season.

This is a squad littered with young talent who are continuously developing their skills, and it would not be a surprise to see them challenging for honours at the business end of the campaign.

Player to watch: Owen Reilly (Pwllheli)

Newly promoted Pwll’ will be looking to establish themselves in the top flight right from the outset, and although very young a lot will be resting on the shoulders of Reilly, one of the most talented prospects in the region.

The 15-year-old helped Pwll achieve promotion last summer, where he took 21 wickets at an average of 22.57 with best figures of 4/15.

He also helped himself to 19 wickets in his debut senior season and was part of the U19 side that reached the T20 Finals Day at the SWALEC Stadium in Cardiff for the second successive year.

Owen has represented Wales from U11 level up to his current U17 status, while also being part of the Eryri set-up over a four-year period and is currently the U15 captain.