8:30am Friday 3rd July 2009
By Ned Payne
WOOTTON Bassett skipper Neil Twine admits he is ‘concerned’ about the club’s current league position, and has targeted beating their fellow strugglers as the key to survival.
Bassett lie second-bottom in the Glos/Wilts Division at the halfway point of the season, having only won two of their first nine games, and along with Lydney, are currently in line to be relegated.
And ahead of tomorrow’s trip to Marshfield, who beat them at the Gerard Buxton Sports Ground last weekend, Twine said: “It’s always a concern where we are in the league table. There’s only nine games to go and we need to start winning.
“I’m confident we’ll stay up, but it might be close.
“Apart from Swindon, Biddestone and Westbury, the rest of the teams are capable of beating one another.
“We’ve got to be looking to take wins against Stroud, Lydney, dare I say it, Lechlade, and Rockhampton.”
Twine reckons several victories in the latter part of the season will be enough to haul his team out of trouble.
“We’ve got players in the club that are good enough to win us three or four games out of the last nine,” he said.
“If we can get three or four wins then that will see us safe.
“This weekend we’ve got to go into the game with confidence and we’ve got to look to get the win. It’s a big game for us.
“They aren’t one of the better teams that we’ve played in the league, I can see why they are mid-table and we’ll certainly be fancying our chances.”
The Bassett skipper has identified the areas that have caused his team problems and will field a much-changed line-up tomorrow.
“We’ve played some good cricket, unfortunately we haven’t put the batting and bowling together in one game,” he said.
“We’ve probably been lacking a bit of confidence in the batting - some players have been unlucky getting out. If we can concentrate I’m sure we can come away with the win.
“I’ve picked a team this week who have got experience and those players need to use that experience and their ability.
“We need to dig deep, play as a team and gel as a team.”
Left arm seamer Ian Lancaster is back from holiday and newly-signed medium-pacer Irfan Sahar, who played for Swindon last year, is due to make his debut.
Wicketkeeper Luke Leach is back in for Sam Burdock, who is dropped to the seconds, while Sam Lawro and Steve Twine are both missing.
Elsewhere in the division, Swindon continue their pursuit of pacesetters Biddestone and Westbury as they travel to Stroud.
Lechlade go in search of their fourth league win of the campaign at Lydney.
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