Hanham CC Talk About Life In The B&D This Year
Article Date: 10th August 2007
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From Bristol Evening Post
Dave Wells believes Hanham Folk Centre can be more than satisfied with their efforts this season, even though he has all but ruled out pipping Chipping Sodbury to the Bristol & District Senior Division title.The Hanham secretary says the club has been going through a year of transition but look set to secure a top-three finish behind the long-standing leaders, who gave the chasing pack hope when they suffered their first defeat of the season at the weekend. But Wells admits Hanham have thrown away too many games from a winning position to harbour realistic hopes of mounting a serious title challenge.
He said: "Most people think Chipping Sodbury have run away with it, even accounting for their defeat to Bishopston on Saturday.
"We have still got to play them a week on Saturday, and that should be quite an interesting match.
"However, we have lost two or three games when we had good chances of winning - for example, we had Bristol Pakistanis at 60-9 two weeks ago and then allowed them to score 100.
"We have lost too many games we shouldn't have lost.
"But we are quite happy with the way the season has gone as we are in a time of transition - some of the senior players are getting older, while we are bringing through younger players and looking to add new players from other areas and other clubs.
"Chipping Sodbury are generally thought to be the best team in the division but Bishopston are a pretty good side too, although like us they have lost games they should have won."
The strength of the Senior Division is illustrated by the performance of reigning champions Bedminster who have gone on to make a strong impression in the Bristol & North Somerset Division and currently lie in second place.
And Wells says that Hanham can aspire to climb one or two divisions up the league ladder, although this year they are happy to settle for maintaining their current status with four teams expected to be relegated from the division.
"It has been a good season all round and as four teams might go down it is a good job we have had (a successful year)," he added.
"Five or six years ago we got right the way up into the Somerset Senior League but there we were coming up against the likes of (talented Somerset batsman James) Hildreth.
"Most of our players come from the Hanham area, we don't have an overseas player, so we have got to be realistic in our ambitions.
"Our youth teams are very strong and we have got good young players coming through."
Hanham visit fourth-placed St Mary Redcliffe tomorrow and go into the game on the back of a six-wicket win against struggling Phoenix West Indians, having successfully chased a target of 112 to win.
"But Wells revealed the match was a lot tighter than the scoreline suggested.
"We were 44-4 but a good partnership saw us to victory.
"On paper it looked an easy win but there were a few nervy moments," he said.
