ERIC Linge has quit as captain of New Milton, claiming he wasn’t ready to deal with the club’s “big characters”.

Linge has handed the reins to experienced Lee Beck ahead of Milton’s basement battle at bottom side Burridge tomorrow.

Milton have lost five of their seven Southern Division Two clashes this term, with Linge claiming the Fernhill players have not been “mentally right” since the start of the campaign.

Linge said: “When we lose, a lot of people try to blame others and don’t look at themselves and I would include myself in that. We’re not sore losers, but we don’t like losing.

“It’s not about playing ability because we can beat anyone in the league when we want to, but we need to be mentally right. We’ve not been right this season.

“The captaincy was affecting my game and me personally. I thought I could do the job but I wasn’t scoring many runs or taking many wickets and I was starting to not enjoy playing cricket. I hated that.

“I wasn’t ready to do the job. New Milton has a lot of big characters and I wasn’t ready to be the biggest. I let one or two players put their feet out of line more than once and they kept doing it. I should have nipped it in the bud straight away.”

Linge is named in the squad for tomorrow’s clash and added: “I think Lee Beck will be able to do a better job than I could.”

New Milton: L Beck, Hill, Rose, Adlem, Freeman, R Beck, Linge, Loader, Neal, Gargaro, Locke.

Elsewhere in Division Two, Bournemouth travel to Hartley Wintney.

• Bashley are unchanged for their visit to South Wilts in Division One. Andy Neal’s men have won four from seven and sit nicely placed behind Havant in the overall table.

The New Foresters are likely to face a stern test tomorrow, however, with South Wilts in a chasing pack that also includes Bournemouth and Hampshire Academy.

Bashley: Neal, Sexton, Thurgood, Morris, Friedman, Baker, S Lilley, Maher, J Lilley, R Grierson, Nash.

• Lymington will be bidding to get their stuttering season on track when they clash with Bournemouth at Chapel Gate.

Second-from-bottom Lymo will be hoping big-hitting Darren Cowley can continue his fine form on his old stomping ground. Bournemouth, meanwhile, will be without skipper Simon Watkins who has UCCE commitments.

Lymington: Pain, Cowley, Treagus, Kelly, Khan, Beethem, Freeman, Owens, Newton, Lammiman, Thacker.

Bournemouth: N Park, J Park, Evans, Butler, House, Porter, Cook, Staniford, Metcalfe, S Ridley, C Ridley.