Hartley Country Club have been frustrated by the weather so far as they prepare to defend their Shepherd Neame Kent League Premier Division title.

Captain Andy Tutt (pictured) said: "Pre-season has been a bit of a disaster as we haven’t been able to play any cricket so far because of rain, but I imagine most clubs are in the same boat.

"It was such a good season last year and everybody just wants to go on from there.

"It’s obviously going to be tougher for us this time because everyone will want to beat the defending champions, but I have never known as high a level of excitement among a group of guys as there is for this season, and everybody was really disappointed when the friendlies were called off."

Hartley will hope for better luck this Saturday when they open their campaign at Blackheath, followed by a home game the following weekend against Bromley, the team they beat to the title last season.

Hartley will again be looking for runs from Dan Stickels, who hit more than 800 runs at an average of 35.81 in his first season last year, while former Kent all-rounder James Hockley is expected to be available again on a regular basis after missing a number of games last season.

Tutt is hopeful that Kent’s Sam Billings, whose 400 runs from only a handful of games proved crucial in last year’s success, will also be able to play as much as possible.

The same applies to his county team-mate Matt Coles, with Tutt adding: "Matt has always been very committed to club cricket, and although we are not expecting to see much of him after his fine start to the season with Kent, there’s always a chance if he’s got a weekend off that he will come and play for us."

Saturday's fixtures: Beckenham v Tunbridge Wells, Bexley v Sevenoaks Vine, Bickley Park v Lordswood, Blackheath v Hartley, Bromley v Canterbury.