Smethwick look to nail promotion

Smethwick find themselves looking to the skies as well as the fixture list as they try to nail down promotion over the final two games of the season.

Captain Dave Banks acknowledges his team have "gone off the boil," as last weekend's mixed display in a losing draw against Water Orton indicated.

They face what Banks believes is a dangerous Ombersley side this weekend still top by five points from Berkswell, with Water Orton 14 adrift.

With a final game to come at winless bottom club Aston Unity, Smethwick rightly reasons a solid performance this weekend can all but move them back into the First Division.

He said: "The groundsman is already reporting that we would struggle to play today. With a forecast for another heavy bank of rain tomorrow, it doesn't look good. But we have to be ready.

"No disrespect to any of the other clubs, but I expect promotion to come from two of the top three now."

They will have to cope without Indian overseas star Rahul Sharma, who has returned home for first-class trials – even if the conditions might not necessarily have suited his leg spin.

"How many bowlers do you need in these conditions?" says Banks, as he makes his plans for Saturday's game.

"It could be we'll go in with three specialists. I do think we have to accept that we've gone off the boil since our good run in the middle of the season, but one or two results have gone our way."

They finished a couple of runs short of the extra batting point against Water Orton, who made 205-9 and then cut through Smethwick's middle order, to leave Banks's last-wicket pair blocking the final ball to avoid defeat.

He said: "We conceded too many runs, although at 90-1 we got ourselves into a good position to chase down the target, even if the run rate was pretty steep."

"Trying to play positively left us at 150-7 and we ended up having to block the last ball."