BEAMINSTER captain Ross Baker has confirmed his decision to step down after seven years in the role, with Chris Park stepping up to replace him.

Baker oversaw a number of promotions and relegations during his tenure, with the club climbing to County Division One in 2019.

However, Beaminster will drop to County Division Two in 2022 following a bottom-placed finish this season.

Explaining his decision, Baker told the Bridport News: “Chris has taken over the captaincy for next year.

“He’s going to focus on recruiting players and I’m going to focus mainly on youth and trying to get the second team going, that’s a big priority.

“I’ve done it on and off for about seven years, so Chris is more than happy to step up and I’m looking forward to playing under him.

“We did slide down to Division Three so to get back in Division One was a real high point for us. 

“Losing players has been an issue for us, which is probably why we’ve yo-yoed between the divisions.”

Asked for a highlight in his tenure, Baker said: “Going up pre-Covid when we got the promotion to Division One.

“We had a very settled team then and that was definitely the highlight. We had Dan Swift over as well and he had a fantastic year.”

He added: “We’re looking to get more of a settled team, build slowly and hopefully get back in Division One and stay there next time.

“Obviously, we do need a mix or youth and experience. We’ve got too many youth (players) in the first team at the moment.

“We just need a few more experienced players to get that mix right.”