Peel and St John’s skipper Ollie Webster has said his squad are looking forward to making their European Cricket League debut in Spain next week.

Speaking ahead of the trip to Malaga for the ‘Champions League of European Cricket’, the talented all-rounder said: ‘It’s a great opportunity and a great network to show your skills to the whole world.

‘Thousands, maybe even millions, watch it so it’s exciting to be part of it.

‘Everybody is looking forward to it.’

The Manx side qualified for the 10-over competition after winning the Cain League last season and follow in the footsteps of Crosby who took part in the competition last year.

The Marown side managed one win against Austrian’s Donaustadt in 2024, narrowly missing out on a place in their group’s finals day on run rate.

Although the Mullen-e-Cloie club’s first taste of the spectacle that is European Cricket, it’s not Webster’s having first played for the Isle of Man in the autumn’s T10 Championships at the same Catama Oval venue.

In that, the shortened format of the sport and high-quality production of the competition’s accompanying YouTube stream captivated a nation as the Manx produced some swashbuckling performances led by the big-hitting Webster and club-mate Eddie Beard.

The pair are just two of six from that island squad in action again next week, bowlers Kieran Cawte, Akkie Van Den Berg and Brendan Bennett joining wicketkeeper Phil Littlejohns in the Saints’ line up.

The westerners have also picked up another couple of bodies in the shape of UK-based wildcards Peter Burgoyne and Andrew Clarke. The former played for England under-19s and Derbyshire before joining the Professional Darts Corporation’s Challenger Tour in 2022, while Clarke has played for Cheshire and the MCC among others.

Webster added: ‘Six of the squad have played in a European competition with the Isle of Man and we’ve added a couple of wildcards to the squad who have played a very good level.

‘Hopefully they can execute their skills well and help us to achieve as much as we can.’

The westerners begin their campaign on Monday (February 24) with games against Germans Darmstadt and French side Dreux.

More group games against ACC Bucharest and Serbians Stari Grad follow on the Tuesday ahead of final placement matches the following day (February 26).

A place in the competition’s ‘championship week’ in mid-March is the prize for the winner of the group final on Wednesday.

Club chairman Russ Miller, who is also part of the playing squad, for next week added: ‘We want to show what the Isle of Man can do and is made of, and represent it as best we can.

‘We’re going to give it out best.’

All the games will be streamed on the European Cricket’s YouTube channel, while the Creek Inn in Peel is also showing the matches.

Peel and St John’s squad: Eddie Beard, Ollie Webster, Phil Littlejohns, Kieran Cawte, Josh Mills, Akkie Van Den Berg, Russ Miller, Brendan Bennett, Pete Lewis, Dave Smith, Jacques De Beer, Neil Jacobs, Andrew Clarke and Pete Burgoyne.