Chippenham closing in on championship

2:58pm Thursday 28th August 2008

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Lightning proved it does strike twice for Chippenham after their loss to Swindon for the second time this season -but captain Steve Silk believes the title will still be theirs come Saturday.

The league leaders go into their final game of the season at home to Gloucester City Winget knowing a win will guarantee the championship.

Silk said: "There are negatives about Saturday because we wanted to go to Swindon and win but now we have a great opportunity to win at home in front of quite a lot of people.

"I think we deserve it. On the whole we have played some pretty good cricket and we have got the strongest squad in the league. I don't think anyone would say that against us.

"I wouldn't say we have played wonderfully well all the time but there has always been someone in the squad who has come forward."

But they are making themselves sweat after losing at Swindon on Saturday - in almost identical circumstances to their last defeat.

In June Silk's side lost by 17 runs after failing to chase down a target of 107 and this time they lost by just 11 runs after falling short of their target of 116 to win.

It represented a frustrating time for Silk, who is sidelined with an injured hand, and he blamed nerves and tension for the defeat.

He said: "That was the one reason we lost.

Even with a team of experienced players it is probably though experienced men who bottled it.

"We needed a 15-year-old in Uzi Qureshi to show us how it should have been done.

"Although we had lost a couple of experienced players in myself and Clifton Folkes we had more than enough people capable.

"Some of our shot selection was not good enough."

Nick Pocock top scored with 25 with Qureshi hitting 17 and Ryan Higgins 16 as the tried to rally in their innings.

Earlier, Higgins had claimed 3-33 and Richard Bates, who will captain the side on Saturday in Silk's absence, 4-18 to try and restrict Swindon at the County Ground.