"WE don't want the season to end," was the message from Neil Twine after his Wootton Bassett side clinched the West of England Wiltshire Division title on the penultimate Saturday of the summer.

Bassett's seven-wicket win over Westinghouse was enough to secure the championship trophy and ensure Glos/Wilts Division cricket will return to Rylands Way in 2008.

But as the sun sets on another summer of cricket, Twine wishes he had more than just one week to bask in the glory of Bassett's achievement.

He said: "It's almost a shame that the end of the season is here.

"We had some great celebrations in the club house on Saturday night with plenty of champagne.

"It was a fantastic day for the whole club and it's hard to believe that this weekend will be the last time we all see each other for a few months."

Twine insists he cannot wait for the winter to come and go as Bassett prepare for their next adventure in Glos/Wilts.

With a derby double against Swindon and Marlborough to look forward to, Twine says everyone is relishing the challenge ahead.

"We've got some good cricket to look forward to next summer," he said.

"Not just for the first team, but for the 2nd XI as well. They are also top of their league and will really benefit from playing in a higher division next year.

"The whole club is flying at the moment. The 3rd XI are pushing for honours in the Wiltshire League and the under 15s are close to winning their league too.

"We've got something to build on now and we hope we can do that in the coming years."

Twine has witnessed a remarkable transformation in fortunes at Rylands since the first team were relegated from the old Alliance League five years ago.

And he believes his team fully deserve to be back in the third tier of amateur cricket in the region.

He said: "When we suffered back-to-back relegations a few years ago we lost a lot of players. You just get used to losing, which can be hard to take.

"But this year everything has gone right. The availability has been excellent and so has the team spirit, and that has really pulled us through."

Twine was at pains not to pick any one player who has shone this summer, but he did pay tribute to three key components of his title winning team.

He said: "Wicketkeeper is a vital position in any team and Luke Bradley-Leach has been tremendous for us, not only with his glove work but also his batting.

"He comes in down the order and has the ability to change the tempo of a game in just a few overs.

"Joe Lukens has also been a revelation since coming back from Loughborough University.

"He has regularly scored big runs at the top of the order and given us that platform we needed to push on in the second half of the season.

"Also, Barry Thurtell deserves a big mention. He was playing 2nd XI cricket last year but he's moved up to the 1st team and not looked out of place at all. His bowling has been so consistent over the whole year."

But if Bassett are to avoid a thrashing in Glos/Wilts, Twine knows they must improve in all departments.

He said: "We know it will be a tough league which is why we need to add to the team during the winter.

"Theo (Pistorius) has been great for us and we will need another very good overseas player.

"Maybe we will go after an opening strike bowler who can also be handy with the bat down the order.

"But we need to keep the nucleus of this side together. We are the ones who got the promotion and everyone deserves to be playing again next season."

Bassett conclude their Wiltshire Division campaign at home to Hinton Charterhouse on Saturday.