Radlett's schoolboy opening batsman Kabir Toor has returned from a fortnight in Bombay improving his leg-spin bowling before his club season starts on Saturday.

Toor is no ordinary schoolboy, because he has represented England Under-17s and has been given a full two-year contract by Middlesex after his young player of the year award at Lord's last season.

His wrist-spin leaves Radlett captain Shane Burger spoilt for choice alongside off-spinner Robbie Crocker and two new top-class arrivals this year: Paul Barker, the Hertfordshire left-armer, and Atul Sachdeva, a former England Under-19 leg-spinner, who works as a surgeon in Stevenage.

Toor, who will be 18 on April 30, and Radlett team-mate Gareth Berg have become full-time professionals at Middlesex, though Toor will have to complete his A Levels at John Lyon School in Harrow before taking up his cricket career.

If Toor and Berg are available regularly on Saturdays, Radlett can expect another good season in the Home Counties League top division, perhaps improving on their third place last season. They dropped out of the title race only in the final two matches when Oxford became champions.

Apart from the disappointment of not signing the Hertfordshire batsman Steve Cordingley due to an engineering contract in the United Arab Emirates, Radlett will lose county colleague Steve Lowe when he moves abroad halfway through the season. The former South Africa A left-hander Haydn Smith is taking a sabbatical from cricket.

Burger is due to arrive from Johannesburg next week after finishing the Pro20 Series with the Lions and could interest counties if he repeats last year's golden summer with the bat and continues his improvement with the ball.

Last year Burger, Berg and the record-breaking Stuart Browne formed perhaps the most dangerous seam attack in the league, taking 89 wickets between them at a paltry cost. Add on the new spin dimension and Radlett have every reason to be confident before their first warm-up games against Farnham Royal at Cobden Hill on Saturday and at Wanstead on Sunday. The first league match is at home against High Wycombe on May 10.

The second team, who start their Herts League Division Two campaign with a home match against Watford Town 1st XI on May 3, look stronger than they have been for many years under their new captain Nick Fielden. Burger's all-rounder colleague at Gauteng, Richard Cameron, has started his schools' coaching work in Hertsmere and will play second-team cricket owing to league restrictions on overseas players.

An unexpected addition to the attack of Heath Paynter and Cameron could be John Barr, a British passport-holding Natal Under-19 left-arm seamer, due in England on a working holiday.

The Radlett 3rd XI, competing against first and second teams in Division Four, will lose their captain Tim Smithers for half the season after a knee operation.

Radlett 4th XI, in Division Six, have a new captain in Jamie Wells, and the 5th XI hope to bounce back from Division 11 after relegation last year.

Radlett warmly welcome any prospective players, umpires, scorers and tea ladies. Club training is on Tuesday evenings at Cobden Hill. Contact Charles Randall on 07770 382127.