WEST Indies big-hitter Dalton Polius will look to set the North Lancs and Cumbria League alight with Haverigg this summer.

The 25-year-old Winward Islands all-rounder brings a combination of left-handed batsmanship and right-arm off-spin to the Poolside set-up.

Polius replaces last year’s professional Syed Shahabuddin as Haverigg look to gain promotion back to the North Lancs Premier Division.

He has represented the West Indies at Under-19 level and is part of the Windward Islands franchise squad, alongside ex-Vickerstown CC pro and current international Kenroy Peters. Polius has made 17 first-class appearances and Haverigg skipper Drew Postlethwaite hopes he can make as impact in South West Cumbria.

“We were first notified of the possibility of Dalton’s services in November by his agent, but with the Caribbean Premier League T20 draft in February, we thought he would get snapped up” he said.

“Luckily for us he wasn’t selected and we were approached again by his agent, confirming Dalton was available.

“From then it was a no-brainer and we are delighted that Dalton will be with us for the 2016 season.

“We know he’ll be a success on Poolside and we can’t wait to see him playing for Haverigg.

“It’s a real statement of intent from ourselves, with us unfortunately being relegated at the end of the 2015 season and we want to be right up there in the mix at the end of this season in Division One.”

Last season saw Haverigg suffer relegation from the North Lancs Premier Division as they won just three matches and finished well adrift at the bottom of the table.

But they are hopeful of a swift return to the top-flight, where champions Furness and last year’s Division One winners Dalton are the only South Cumbrian representatives this season.

Haverigg first-team player and committee member Jordan Postlethwaite added: “Once Dalton had been offered to us by his agent, Kenny Statham, we quickly acted on getting a reference and spoke to a couple of our ex-West Indian professionals.

“Wilden Cornwall swiftly got back in touch with us and highly recommends Dalton as a top player, with a fantastic attitude and he knows he will fit in perfectly at Haverigg.

“I, for one, am really looking forward to playing alongside Dalton this season. He’s exactly the professional we need.

“His addition balances the squad perfectly and he will bring plenty of enthusiasm and class to our team and we’ll make him feel really welcome.

“He is also very keen to coach and will help our junior section and NatWest under-19s T20 team, that we have entered into the county-wide competition this season.

“We would also like to thank Kenny Statham for his fantastic help in getting Dalton signed up for us for the season.”