Relegation threatened Haverhill captain Ben Wilkins calls for a ‘hero’ as they enter dramatic final day game against Dunmow
Haverhill Cricket Club captain Ben Wilkins has called on his players to ‘step and be the hero’ in a rallying cry before their relegation deciding final game of the season on Saturday.
The last relegation spot in Division Two of the Marshall Hatchick Two Counties Championship is on a knife edge heading into the final game week of the campaign, as Haverhill sit three points above the two team drop zone.
With 15 to 20 points available for a win - though 16 is normally the minimum - they know they need to match or better Elmstead’s total at fifth-placed Woolpit II when they host a Dunmow side currently occupying third spot at Manor Road on Saturday (12.30pm).
After suffering back to back defeats, to Witham and Kesgrave, Wilkins said: “We’re feeling pretty confident.
“When you’re in games like this, you need someone to step up, take the game on and be the hero. Someone needs to do that this week. If one of us can get 50 or 100 runs or five wickets to win us the game it’s going to be remembered for a long time and everyone has the opportunity to be that hero.
“Within the team, we all have the understanding that ‘it is what it is’ if we go down. It’s nobody’s fault apart from ourselves and if we stay up it will be a bonus that we can build on for next year.
“We can’t change anything that’s happened so far and we’ve just got to back ourselves this weekend.”
Before their previous three games, Wilkins had told the Echo he believed one win should be enough to secure their Division Two status as it would see them past the ‘200 point’ mark that has historically been enough.
Three games later, a win under their belts and sitting on 203 points, Haverhill still find themselves in a situation where relegation is a possibility.
Wilkins, who has Khalid Saeed back available, said: “I don’t think we have performed as well as we could have done in recent games. If we had played better, we could have picked up a few more bonus points and it would have put us in a better position,” said Wilkins.
“We’re both (Haverhill and Elmstead) going to be checking each other’s results and hopefully we get a bit luck that swings our way. If they win, then fair play to them, and if they don’t then hopefully we’re in the position where we can stay up.
“When you’re playing teams in the top half of the league, like we have, it’s very difficult because they have players who can make a difference on their day.
“We’re going to do our best to win, but if we can’t, then we just hope to get enough bonus points to survive.”
Meanwhile, Jack Gair, who plays for Haverhill IIs and IIIs with a hearing impairement, is hoping to end this weekend as a national champion.
The Haverhill Leisure Centre employee is set to play for the Essex Falcons ability cricket team in the D40 Pursuit national final at Collingham & Distrcit CC, near Newark-on-Trent, on Sunday where they will face Wales (1pm).
