LANCASHIRE skipper Glen Chapple believes the county’s young players will step up to the plate next season.

Chapple replaced Stuart Law as captain after the club’s decision not to offer the 39-year-old a new deal on Monday.

With Law, Dominic Cork and Iain Sutcliffe all having left the club, the top brass at Old Trafford are putting their faith in youth to take the club into a glorious new era.

And Chapple believes the graduates from the club’s youth system like Tom Smith, Oliver Newby and Paul Horton can do just that.

He said: “We’ve got a lot of youngsters who did well this year. When they came into the side later on we won the last two games, which was crucial. Everyone played a big part in those two victories.

“On top of that we had other lads coming forward like Sajid Mahmood who had probably his best season for the club and really showed he’s the finished article now.

“And we’ll be looking to players to show how good they are and we’ve got every confidence in them.

“As a player, you want to put out a good side and for the club’s perspective then if the players are from Lancashire then all the better. They put a lot of work into the academy and it will be nice for the club to see it bearing fruit.

“I think we’ve always been one of the clubs who have always played more English players and more home-grown players. At the moment, it looks like we’re going down the route of playing more players from the academy, but that’s because they’re good cricketers – not for any other reason.

“The team we have at Lancashire at the moment has some significant strengths, whether or not there are more players to be added we will have to sit down and talk about that.

“A lot of the players had a good amount of cricket this year. A couple of them only got in for the last couple of games and they’ll be looking to get more cricket next year and it will make for an interesting and competitive pre-season.”

And Chapple also thought the move would dampen criticism of the club, especially from Mike Atherton.

In his Times column earlier in the month, Atherton, who is a honorary vice-president of the club, said Lancashire were “in a shambolic state” and criticised them for being reluctant to “show faith in their own” and for “resorting to short-term fixes from overseas”.

In response, Chapple hit back Atherton saying the former England skipper talked “rubbish at times”.

Chapple added: “I wasn’t directly having a go at Mike Atherton, it was just the general perception of Lancashire not promoting youth. I felt that was slightly out. You can’t always pick 11 Lancastrians, it’s not always practical.

“If you get to a stage when you can then brilliant and the more people who can play for England especially.

“They are the people you want to be giving chances to.”

With the county season seven months away, Chapple will spend the winter preparing for his new role.

But the 34-year-old, who began his career at Ribblesdale League side Earby, doesn’t believe the captaincy will have a detrimental effect on his form.

“Sometimes people say that has a bad effect in a player’s form,” Chapple said.

“But players can have bad years without being captain and I will just approach my cricket as I always have done.

“I’ll put the same amount of work in as I have done over the past few years.

“There will be extra work with the captaincy but it’s something I’ll have to get used to.”