Few would have predicted it, but Wraysbury are sitting pretty at the top
Few would have predicted that Wraysbury would be sitting pretty at the top of the TVL Division 2A table at the halfway point of the season, but that's the case after they secured a deserved 77-run victory over bottom club Amersham 2nds on Saturday.
Andy Prasad's men have been the league's form side so far this summer, winning six of their eight matches to date and seeing another of those, against High Wycombe last week, abandoned due to the weather.
The weather once again threatened to 'play spoil sport' on Saturday, but, having declared on 312-7 - with Naeem Baig top scoring with 81 and Prasad (70) and Guy Sheema (71) also scoring well - they had enough time to bowl Amersham out for 235 runs.
In a fine individual performance, Sheema finished with the hosts' best bowling figures, taking 3-37. Baig (2-7) also took a couple of big wickets at the end to finish Amersham's challenge.
The result took Wraysbury 14 points clear of closest rivals Uxbridge, and there's a growing confidence inside the camp they can maintain their form and challenge the likes of Uxbridge, Marlow, and Kew for promotion.
“It's been going very well this season,” said Prasad. “Coming from Division 3 into Division 2, we heard about how hard it is, but we've made a good start this year,
“The first three games (wins against Marlow, Chesham, and Hounslow & Whitton) helped settle our nerves and find our feet.
“So, when we came to playing the top sides, like Kew, it gave us a lot of confidence. We also played Amersham and Royal Ascot in our warmup games and won both of those, and that gave us confidence too and we took that into the season. We've had the same core of players for 10 years now, all the way through from the Chilterns League to the Thames Valley league. I know these players and I know what they can do and the standard they play to.”
Wraysbury haven't had things all their own way this season. They were beaten by Uxbridge by 109 runs and only narrowly edged past Kew by five runs, in a game Prasad admits could have easily gone either way. But, for the time being at least, they're holding their own at the top of the table and travel to second from bottom Tring Park 2nds on Saturday full of confidence.
“I must say that some of the games we've played have been very close,” added Prasad. “Kew especially, when we won by five runs, we had a bit of luck at the end in a close game.
“Chesham was also very close, and we had to dig in to get those results as they were far from straightforward, however, different players have been performing in difference games and that's helped us.
“We were very scared on Saturday because of the weather. The week before against High Wycombe we'd also been in a very strong position, having put on 268, but the weather played spoil sport and it was abandoned.
“When we had to come off because of heavy rain on Saturday I thought there was going to be a repeat, but luckily the rain stopped and afterwards it was much brighter. It was a stroke of luck.