DAN Coombs will take charge of Basingstoke and North Hants for their longest trip of the season as they travel to Bournemouth in Southern League Division One.

This is because first team skipper Chris Froud misses the game due to a family wedding.

A replacement at the top of the order was set to be decided by Froud and Coombs last night.

The newly-promoted Bountymen have so far won both their away games this summer at Sarisbury and Fawley.

Last weekend, Basingstoke suffered a wash-out as overnight rain flooded May’s Bounty and so their early season top-of-the-table clash with Liphook and Ripsley was cancelled.

Once again this weekend it is a journey into the unknown for Basingstoke as they head to Dorset to face a side relegated from the Premier Division at the end of last summer.

Froud said: “They have signed a lot of players so we are expecting them to be strong, but we feel if we play well we would fancy ourselves to beat anyone.

“It is a bit of lottery at the moment as no one has played a lot of cricket.”

Basingstoke’s second XI are at home to Alton II in Division Three, looking for their third league win on the trot.