IT may only be November, but the cream of North Wales cricketers have been taking to the nets!

Last summer saw the welcome return of the North Wales representative team.

The side, captained by St Asaph's Will Ryan, took on development teams from Cheshire and Staffordshire towards the end of the summer - and plans are already being made for the 2022 season.

A total of 30 squad members got together on Sunday for a nets session in Kinmel Bay.

According to team manager Russell Penrhyn Jones, this "shows the commitment by the players".

"The great news is that Glyn and Mark Watkin Jones have kindly given us some sponsorship for the playing kit and this is going to be a huge help and we shall look the part," added Penrhyn Jones.

"I can’t thank the Watkin Jones group enough for this and I am hoping to gain further sponsorship in the coming months and we are still looking for support."

As for future matches, Penrhyn Jones is looking beyond England for opponents.

"I have contacted the Irish Cricket Board to see if we can get a game over here or in Ireland and we have potentially been asked to play in a tournament with Staffordshire, Cheshire, Shropshire, Cumbria and Northumberland.

"Exciting times and keeping momentum is the key."

Rain meant a result wasn't possible during North Wales' return to action in mid-August against the Cheshire Cricket Academy at Oulton Park.

Bangor's David Winter struck a half-century as North Wales topped the 200-mark, but the match was eventually abandoned.

A few weeks later, and it was the Saints to the fore as North Wales triumphed in their next representative meeting.

Victory for the North Wales XI looked to be tricky when they stumbled to 137 for eight in their meeting with a Staffordshire Development team at St Asaph.

However, home duo Will Ryan and Jason Foulkes supplied an unbeaten partnership of 76 for the ninth wicket to see North Wales through to a two-wicket victory.

Penrhyn Jones added: "We have some very good players throughout North Wales and my aim is to give them some exposure and the ability to play at the highest level they can.

"I'm so passionate about North Wales as a region.

"We're a big region and there's a lot of decent cricketers in North Wales.

"I want to give them representative cricket where they get exposure."