Scott Stratton admits it is a whole new era at Horsham.

The 34-year-old batsman has taken the captaincy of a club still searching for their first league title since 1991.

There is a new look to the Cricketfield Road side this season, principally due to the absence of brothers Andy and Robin Beer.

Howard Kasey has also stepped down, David Briance has joined Stirlands and Brian Chambers missed the start of the season through injury, giving the side a youthful new look.

Stratton, who joined from Cove in 1993, admitted: "I think they appointed me because they wanted an old head.

"The next oldest player is about 24.

"I am not sure what to expect from this team. We will be there or thereabouts but, because of the type of side we have got, we have probably got more chance of success in the cup.

"We are a fairly good fielding side and we bat a long way down but I don't know whether we will have the consistency for the league."

The Beer bothers have been piling up runs since the late 1970s and will take some replacing.

Stratton said: "Robin is building his own house and Andy has not really started this season.

"I don't expect him to play in the first team and Robin definitely won't. He will play in the seconds when they are short."

Kasey, a former first team skipper, is now chairman of selectors and playing in the IIs. Horsham's new Australian batsman David Hussey, from Perth, has made a great start to the season and earned selection for the Sussex Board XI.

Great things are also expected of signings Andrew Hodd (Bexhill) and Carl Hopkinson (Haywards Heath).

Hodd scored a hundred on his league debut and is filling a wicketkeeper's position previously occupied by Shaun Humphries.

Otherwise it is a case of hoping a crop of homegrown players, who have long been described as promising youngsters, can now play major roles on a regular basis.

They include brothers Chris and Mark Nash, who are both spinners, batsman Alan Law, all-rounder Luke Marshall and seamers Chris Baker and Glen Read.

Two of those two surnames should be familiar to long term followers of the league.

Baker is the son of Paul, Horsham's outspoken former wicketkeeper and cricket supremo.

And Marshall offers the one remaining link with the side who completed a league and cup double by winning the title on the last day of the 1991 season.

It was an edge for four by Richard Marshall which gave Horsham the bonus point they needed to clinch the prize.

His 20-year-old son is now doing his bit to bring the glory days back to Cricketfield Road.