Rob Sehmi says Cheshire will not get embroiled in matters beyond their control as he brings his side to Oxfordshire for their latest NCCA Championship Division One West encounter.
Oulton Park wicketkeeper batsman Sehmi led Cheshire for the first time in their opening round draw with Dorset at Oxton earlier this month.
And with Wiltshire and Berkshire sharing the booty too, the teams are practically tied before the second round of the game.
Sehmi is leading his squad tomorrow (11am) in Banbury for a first win … but he insists the players need to focus on their journey south.
“Everything is to be played. I think this is how this department will work, ”said the 24-year-old.
“I don’t think there will be many wins, there will be a lot of draws and the teams will try to make sure they get the bonus points in the four games.
“It’s going to be attrition cricket. Our first thought, however, is to go to Oxfordshire and win.
“For us there is no second option. We want to show up and win a game of cricket.
“We’re not looking too far ahead. We want to stay in our own little bubble.
“We don’t worry about how the other pages are doing. If you wonder how the other teams in the division are doing, you lose track of your own game and your goals.
“We’ll just concentrate on the task at hand. We have to be as professional as possible and execute our skills properly. “
Sehmi admits that his captaincy debut two weeks ago was a mixture of ups and downs.
Ben Fletcher, who took seven wickets, hit Cheshire on the bum on day three with a great seam bowling with his left arm.
It took David Wainwright 27 to steer Cheshire past the next goal in the rain-stricken game.
And although Dorset declared late in the day in their second innings, Cheshire comfortably negotiated a draw.
“When you look at large parts of the game, it was difficult to see who was ahead,” adds Sehmi.
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“We had this bad hour where we really struggled so it was ebb and flow.
“I thank David for using his experience to get us out of a hole together with Ben Gibbon.
“However, we did not fully understand what Dorset was up to. We thought they could get quick runs in the second innings, explain and then put some serious pressure on us, but they didn’t.
“Afterwards we talked in the locker room about how many of our batsmen came out and how many came out ourselves and whether we had a game plan.
“It just goes to show that a bad hour in a game on matchday three can take the game away.
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“There was probably a bit of inexperience, but we will learn from it.”
However, Cheshire had many positive aspects from the encounter.
Debut opening striker Tim Hughes, who plays for Didsbury, impressed and will keep his place on the team for the trip to Oxfordshire this weekend.
“Tim was fantastic on his debut and Calum Rowe showed his experience at the head of the Order alongside him,” explained Sehmi.
“We probably blew away a few cobwebs in that first game.
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“It’s going to be tough in Oxfordshire. They didn’t play in the first round but we can’t guarantee they’ll rust.
“It was nice for us to be back in the groove of 3-day cricket. We know what Oxfordshire is about and they’re a good site, but we just have to support ourselves. “
Stockport Georgians spinner Simon Normanton is unavailable for Cheshire this weekend.
Cheshire: Rob Sehmi (cpt, Oulton Park), Calum Rowe (Bollington), Tim Hughes (Didsbury), Sam Perry (Alderley Edge), Will Evans (Neston), Andy Jackson (Toft), Steve Green (Didsbury), David Wainwright (Castleford), Chris Sanders (Alderley Edge), Mike Finan (Blumenfeld), Ben Gibbon (Oulton Park).
