Champions in waiting: Maidenhead & Bray on brink of TVL 2B title glory

Maidenhead & Bray skipper Alkesh Vaja

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Barring a complete disaster at High Wycombe 2nd on Saturday, Maidenhead & Bray are assured of lifting the Thames Valley League Division 2B title on Saturday evening after what’s been a magnificent season.

Alkesh Vaja’s side have seen off some competitive sides to put at least one hand on the trophy and, should they manage to get the five points needed at the weekend to guarantee their promotion, they’ll start planning for life in TVL Division 1.

Bray have been excellent this season, consistently winning matches and managing it when the pressure has ratcheted up in recent weeks. They’ve managed to push the likes of Stoke Green 2nds, Hayes and High Wycombe 2nds into the shade and go into their final match with an 18-point buffer to protect.

It is still possible for them to throw the title away, however, even a respectable loss would give them enough points to finish ahead of the chasing pack.

On Saturday, they did what they needed to do to beat Hayes by eight wickets, restricting them to 207 in 48.2 overs before getting in the required 20 plus overs to ensure they defeated them on Duckworth Lewis. They finished on 113-2 in 26 overs, and the revised target was only 85.

Looking ahead to Saturday, Vaja said: “I think we’re 18 points clear with one game left at High Wycombe. From calculation I think we need five points really to secure promotion and that’s certainly achievable, but we’ve got a game of cricket to play.

“If the worst happens then yeah, and we’re all out for like five or something, we could still miss out. .

“But absolutely, it’s a great thing for the club as a whole.

“I’m so proud of everyone who has represented Maidenhead & Bray first team this year. It’s been nothing short of amazing to turn up with a group that are so well gelled together.

“They’ve continued the success week on week.”

Vaja also praised his side’s big game mentality. Whether playing one of their title rivals or a relegation candidate they’ve treated every opponent with the same respect and that’s seen them win 12 of their 17 matches. Two have been cancelled or abandoned due to the weather, one was drawn and only two have been lost.

“Yeah, with these big games, we take every week as it comes and we don’t take anything for granted,” he said.

“We treat it as if we’re playing top of the league every week. Having that mindset from everyone has been good. You must keep a level head in every situation, even in those ones that don’t look to be going your way. You must try and pull it back as much as possible. Make the best of a bad situation. We’ve managed to do that, have dug in deep and pulled out some positive results.

“We did everything possible to get on against Hayes. When the rain stopped, we did the relevant checks, and it was all good.

“We got on and I think we lost two wickets, but we managed to get through 20 overs which constituted a game, and we were ahead of Duckworth Lewis which was good. The heavens then opened, but regardless of the rain I was sure we would chase the 207.

“It’s a fantastic achievement for the club as a whole and I’m truly proud of representing Maidenhead & Bray first team and pulling us up to this level with again people who have stuck by each other through the season.

“We now want to finish the job on Saturday; get the points we need to finish the season strong and then we start planning for next year.”