We’re nicely

gap over the drop zone for a few weeks now and know their fate is in their own hands with next week’s double-header against Honley and Skelmanthorpe before the closing fixture up at Scholes.

Vice-captain Ben Raven-Hill says that despite a sparkling start to the season, staying up has always been the ultimate aim, and he reckons the club are excellently set up to build for a sustained future in the top flight.

“It has really closed up towards the bottom end of the table, but we know what we have to do,” said Raven-Hill.

“We have kept getting close in a lot of games and just missing out, but a couple more six-pointers will see us okay.

“While we flew out of the blocks at the start of the season, you tend to see with a lot of promoted sides they then get a run of four or five tough fixtures which can go the wrong way.

“The good thing for us is that we’ve kept winning one out of three and that’s kept us going and allowed us to keep that gap (to the bottom clubs).”

Aussie Jed Standring and South African Phil Visser (the overseas) have both made very favourable impressions this season, alongside the ‘usual suspects’ who’ve taken root alongside the River Holme.

“Jed opens the batting with me and has had a really good season,” said Raven-Hill.

“He hit Hoylandswaine all round the park, making 140-odd there, and he’s had a few 30s which, if he’d turned them into 80s, he’d be right up there in the batting.

“Phil is a very, very talented cricketer – a superb fielder, good tight bowler and talented bat.

“He is from the Free State but playing University cricket in Cape Town and he’s one who could go somewhere in the game, because he’s very talented.”

So how have Thongsbridge handled the step up and the bet-