Terence Warde, the man who saved Whitehaven from relegation in 2021, is coming back to the Playground to resume as the club professional.
He would have been back last season but a change in the West Indian season meant that he would have been unavailable for too many of the early games.
At the end of 2021 he played the most important innings of his summer stint in West Cumbria to save his team from the drop.
The 34-year-old West Indian all-rounder hit a brilliant unbeaten century and in a thrilling finish guided them to a three wicket win at Haverigg with just seven balls to spare.
Whitehaven were already aware that fellow strugglers Lindal Moor had beaten Wigton and that only a win would save them from the drop out of the Cumbria League’s Premier Division.
Chasing Haverigg’s 196-8, Warde (101no) and Jonathon Stewart (55) put together a third wicket partnership of 127 to get them back into the contest.
Four wickets then went cheaply and it took all of Warde’s skill and game management to get Whitehaven up to their target. They finally reached 198-7 off the fifth ball of the penultimate over.
Warde had also shown his worth with the ball, taking 3-17 from his 10 overs.
Whitehaven were without a pro for some time last year and were again involved in a desperate battle to stay up but they survived again.
Warde has represented the Leeward Islands since 2017 and represents a sound capture for the Whitehaven club.
The club chairman Jonathan Stewart was delighted to be able to announce the signing.
“Terence had a stand-out season in 2021 and we hope he can emulate those performances. He will also continue to be a major influence on the junior section too.”
