WITH five matches of the season to go, Groves are showing no sign of championship nerves.
The Ellesmere Port side have dominated Division One of the Cheshire Alliance this season. They top the table by 31 points from second-placed Chelford and are closing in on a return to the Meller Braggins League.
Skipper Mike Garvey was delighted with his team’s latest success, a four-wicket win at Frodsham on Saturday.
Garvey said: “It is becoming a bit of a cliché, but we’re taking it one game at a time.
“The Frodsham game was another banana skin. They have match-winners, so it was good to get that one out of the way.
“It is still a little disconcerting that we are not putting a settled eleven out week in, week out. But it is proving that our strength in depth is a little better than we first thought.”
Garvey expects to have to make “a few changes” for this Saturday’s clash with Stalybridge but remains confident of getting a result.
The Groves skipper said: “The key point is anyone can beat anyone at any given time, as Wilmslow beating Chelford shows.
“But we just need to focus on our own performance and do what we do, and keep doing it well.”
Garvey called for his players to maintain the high standards they have set this year.
He added: “We must continue to play our cricket to this standard.
“There is a lot of cricket to be played, but at least our destiny is firmly and squarely in our own hands from this point on.”
There could be a twin success story for cricket in the town this year.
In Division Two of the Alliance, Groves’ neighbours Ellesmere Port are in the promotion reckoning. They lie third in the table, trailing leaders Audlem and Glazebury, who occupy the second promotion slot.
Weekend reports – page 55.
