Devonshire Colts on the verge of title triumph
Devonshire Colts coach Ray Jones is adamant his team will not be taking anything for granted in their potential promotion and First Division title clincher against Somerset Eagles at White Hill Field tomorrow.
Colts require only three points from their remaining five fixtures to wrap up the First Division title and return to the Premier Division after a two-year hiatus.
The runaway leaders are unbeaten in the league and even though they are the firm favourites heading into the clash with Eagles, who are third from the bottom, Jones has warned his players against complacency.
“I think the lesson learnt on New Year’s Day [Shield final loss to St David’s] is still fresh in our minds, so there is no room for complacency,” he told The Royal Gazette. “As I said last week, we’re taking it one game at a time and always show respect to our opponents.
“Jomar [Wilkinson, the Eagles coach] always has his teams well organised, so we are expecting a tough match on their home patch.”
Colts hold a commanding 13-point advantage over Southampton Rangers.
With promotion and the title now well within striking distance, Jones says his players are highly motivated.
“The team is buzzing about the potential of lifting the title and securing ourselves back among the top flight,” he added.
“We have had two good nights of preparation with one more before the big match.”
Jones is delighted and inspired by his club’s growth in recent years.
“The club has been growing over the last few years as we have teams in every age bracket from pee-wee to masters, so success this season will bode well for our future,” he said.
Fellow promotion hopefuls Wolves can close the gap to Rangers and Robin Hood, who are third, with victory over St David’s Warriors at Lord’s tomorrow.
Rangers have a bye while the match between Hood and Boulevard was postponed because of inclement weather and rescheduled for next Thursday night at Goose Gosling Field.
Bottom team Ireland Rangers host Vasco at Somerset Cricket Club in tomorrow’s remaining First Division fixture.
Meanwhile, Premier Division action resumes today with Dandy Town hosting Hamilton Parish at Goose Gosling Field in a match also rescheduled from Thursday night.
The match is of vital importance to both teams who are tied in the standings only four points adrift of the relegation zone, from which they will be keen to further distance themselves.
The remaining top-flight matches tomorrow will see leaders PHC Zebras hosting Young Men’s Social Club at PHC Field, second-placed North Village away to bottom side X-Roads Warriors at Lord’s, and second-bottom Somerset Trojans hosting St George’s Colts at Somerset Cricket Club.
Zebras top the pile by a solitary point over nearest rivals Village while Trojans and X-Roads occupy the relegation places at the other end of the table.
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