Jamie Perkin has made the tough decision to leave Oxford and join Dinton for the 2021 season.
Perkin has made the decision to swap his long-time affiliation with Oxford to move to Dinton after moving home to live within walking distance of the Cherwell League, Division 1 outfit.
Sports Shots spoke to Perkin about the move.
Eliot the chairman spoke to me when we played Dinton last game of the 2019 season and we got on really well and had a number of chats thereafter. I told him I was happy at the time but then I moved five minutes from their ground and we had another chat last season.
Relocating the family home and making the decision to join Dinton meant the Oxford captain then had to make some difficult telephone calls.
It was absolutely awful letting Rupert (Evans) know I was leaving the club. Those that know me will know that me and Rupert are extremely close and despite making a decision that would benefit my family, it was still such an awful feeling.
Apart from two seasons at Shipton-under-Wychwood, Perkin played 204 games Oxford in an eleven year spell.
The outgoing captain was quick to heap praise on Oxford Cricket Club and, in particular, Rupert Evans, the Oxford and Oxfordshire Head Coach.
Rupert has been like a Dad to me and we have become such good friends over the years. Not only is Rupert a great friend but also a wonderful coach and his passion for the club is something that rubbed off on me. Oxford have some wonderful young cricketers and I think they will flourish if they stay together. It has been a massive honour to captain such a big cricket club, a club I have played for for over 10 years.
The next chapter for Perkin is a positive one.
Joining Dinton is something I am really looking forward to. They have some extremely talented cricketers that probably need a bit of direction and leadership and that is something I am really excited about. I am also looking forward to working closely with captain Grant Farrow so we can try and get this club moving back in the right direction with a winning mentality. I also get on very well with Sutts (Mike Sutliff) and look forward to working with him and the youth set up when required.
The new challenge for Perkin sees him want to score runs and enforce his case to get recalled into the Oxfordshire reckoning.
I certainly feel like I have some cricket left in me and would be great to try and score some runs and get myself back into the Oxfordshire set up. I feel like I have been harshly overlooked in the last couple of years but the only thing I can do is score runs and take wickets and hope the selectors take notice.
We thank Jamie for his time and wish him well in 2021.
