Beccles Town start their season on Sunday with the Beccles Hospital Cup match against local rivals Bungay Town (3pm), who will be out to show that they should also have gained promotion to the Premier Division.

Training sessions have been well attended and all teams are looking good for the coming season. However, not all the progress has been on the players, with enormous transformations having being made in various areas around the ground.

The whole ground is now enclosed with green fencing with dedicated entrances behind the goal at the bowls club end and from the station footpath, where the old turnstile huts have been demolished.

The old stand has been transformed with a new concrete floor, a new back and facia and hopefully a row of seats in the near future. New drainage has been plumbed in to prevent pitch flooding and new level concrete paths from the bowls club entrance give good access for all visitors, including any in wheelchairs.

The dugouts have been moved to the ditch side of the pitch and enlarged to accommodate the additional substitutes for the Under-18 games. The pitch has been well tended and looks a picture. All of the construction work has been carried out by club members and their families and friends under the leadership of Chris Brown.

Following the season opener, early fixtures for the newly promoted first team in the Premier Division of the Hadley and Ottaway Anglian Combination are Bradenham away on August 19, Harleston at home on August 22, St Andrews at home on August 25 and Reepham away on September 2. These games all have a 2.30pm kick off, except the Harleston Town fixture which is 7.30pm.

The Reserves open with a trip to Harleston Reserves on August 16 (6.30pm) followed by East Harling at home on August 19, Tacolneston away on August 26 and South Walsham Reserves at home on September 2 (all 2.30pm).

Beccles Town look forward to welcoming all supporters and any new faces to come and look at the magnificent transformation of College Meadow, surely now one of the best grounds in the league.

Bungay open their campaign in Division One with a home game against Wymondham Town on Saturday, August 19 (2.30pm).