CAPTAIN Phil West says a quick return to the Berkshire Premier Division is vital to ensure Emmbrook and Bearwood can keep hold of their top young talent.
The Bears were relegated from the top flight of the Berkshire Cricket League last season but victory over Peppard Stoke Row 2s on Saturday, a fourth win in a row, has fired them up to first place in the Division 1 table.
One man who left the club after they dropped into the second tier was batsman Archie Carter, who made the switch to Thames Valley Division 1 side Wokingham, and West knows Emmbrook must win promotion quickly to try and prevent further departures.
“I think we know that on our day, we can be a strong team in Division 1,” West told The Wokingham Paper.
“Getting back to the best level we can play at is our aim.
“We’ve got a crop of talented youngsters and the only way we’re going to keep them at the club is to show aspirations to play at the best possible level.
“The aim is definitely to get back into the Premier Division but we know it’s not going to be easy because we’re playing seven first teams and two second teams in Division 1, so it’s still a competitive level.
“We had a difficult start, losing our first game, but since then we’ve got self belief now.
“We’ve got a good young bunch of players and confidence is really high at the moment.”
It was another impressive display from West’s charges at Peppard.
After a difficult start with the ball, Emmbrook introduced their spinners with Callum Marshall the pick of the bowlers, posting figures of 4-27 while Ollie Williams and opener Richard Cole took two wickets apiece.
With the hosts bowled out for 166, Andy Webb took it upon himself to do most of the damage in reply, ending on a season-best 96 not out, a knock which included 17 boundaries.
Captain West (28no) was at the crease with Webb to see the seven-wicket win over the line after 26 overs.
And the skipper, who is embarking on his first full season leading the side, is happy to see different men producing match-winning displays each week.
“I think that’s the nice thing, that all of the lads that have played are actually contributing,” said West.
“In two of the wins I haven’t had to do anything myself because batting at four or five I wasn’t required to.
“It’s great that the other lads are stepping up and taking responsibility.
“Last weekend at home against West Reading we were about 10-2 at the start of the game and the partnerships that people put on got us up to a score.
“I think there’s that sense of shared responsibility that if he fails, I’m going to step up and if he fails, I’m going to get runs.
“I think that’s a really good place to be for the team at the moment.”
Emmbrook were relegated with just four wins and 10 defeats last season and they began this campaign with a loss against Mortimer West End.
But the Bears are unbeaten ever since and while the side is built around young talent, West admits he did feel the need to add some older heads to help the squad this campaign.
“We knew we were going to lose Archie Carter and our young opening batter Ollie Williams has really stepped up to the plate,” said the captain.
“We recruited wicket-keeper Adam Telford from Mortimer but fundamentally I feel we had a good squad, it was just a case of last year a lot of the lads were inexperienced.
“We were going into games last season in the Premier Division where I was the oldest player at 24, which when you’re going to play the likes of West Reading and Peppard, proper cricket sides, that’s pretty tough when you’ve got a lack of experience.
“All the teenagers are a year older this year and I’m trying to balance the squad and actually have a few blokes who have played men’s cricket for maybe 20 years in the team as well.
“I think that’s the combination that’s working really well, to have the older guys there to put their arm around the youngsters if it’s not going so well on a certain day.”
He added: “I think the Mortimer game (on the opening day) was the turning point.
“It felt like a bit of a hangover from last season in that we actually posted a good score and they ended up chasing it down with a couple of overs left.
“Despite that loss, I did always feel that the signs were there.”
And West knows his side cannot take their foot off the pedal against Goring-on-Thames on Saturday.
“One defeat can change a lot at this stage of the season,” he said.
“It’s a tough game away at Goring, they’re in good form but we’ve got a strong team this weekend and we’re expecting a tough challenge.”
