There will be twists and turns - Nixon

Leicestershire CCC Head Coach Paul Nixon is anticipating an exciting end to the campaign as 43 points separate the top five in Specsavers County Championship Division Two.

Wins for Warwickshire CCC, Sussex CCC and Kent CCC last week mean that the Foxes will need to make up 30 points in the coming weeks.

But there is still all to play for - 120 points, in fact. The Foxes will still fancy their chances, as will Middlesex CCC, who host in-form Sussex CCC this week.

Nixon won the County Championship with Leicestershire CCC as a player both in 1996 and 1998, so it is fair to say that he knows a thing or two about the psychology of run-ins.

“Before we faced the Kent games it looked as though they would be vital, but Sussex have moved through the pack with four successive wins,” said Nixon.

“So even had we beat Kent last week, we’d still be chasing second place. So in some senses, nothing has changed for us.

“Middlesex pulled themselves back into it after a great win following on at Northants, and they play Sussex this week. Teams will be taking points off one another.

“We are only one or two wins away from where we’d like to be, and we could easily have obtained them at Durham and at home to Middlesex. Even the game last week [against Kent] was in the balance until that decisive partnership.

“Although 30 points looks to be quite a gap, with 16 available for a win, plus bonus points, it’s not that big. A lot of elements go into a [Specsavers] County Championship game, so it’s very much all up for grabs.

“I guarantee you that there will be plenty of twists and turns to come, especially as sides in the top five have to play one another. We have to keep playing good cricket and keep believing.”

Nixon said that his charges accept that tomorrow’s trip to face Gloucestershire CCC (11am start) is one where they need somewhere approaching a maximum points haul to keep themselves in the mix.

Games against the current top two immediately follow the game at the Brightside Ground, so it is important that the gap doesn’t widen significantly before those fixtures.

“We go to Hove the week after next, and then have Warwickshire at home, so it’s important that we keep ourselves in the mix,” he said.

“In that respect, we know that this week’s game is probably must win given that we have Sussex and Warwickshire just around the corner. But we don’t want to focus on the result too much.

“Bristol is never an easy place to go to, and they were all out twice inside 77 overs last week, so are bound to be determined to put that right in front of their Members.

“Gloucestershire have some talented players, and a really good coaching team in Richard Dawson and Ian Harvey. They have done really well in T20, and although it wasn’t to be on Saturday, they played well and will be buoyed by that.

“I know it's cliched, and we’ve said it many times before, but it’s about putting enough sessions of good, solid cricket together and taking it one ball at a time. That approach won’t change for us in the next few weeks.”

Leicestershire CCC will be boosted by the return in the squad of key all-rounders Neil Dexter and Zak Chappell for the fixture in Bristol. The Foxes has named a 13-man squad for the game including Dieter Klein, who was Chappell’s concussion replacement on day one last week.

Leicestershire CCC (from 13): Horton (capt), Abbas, Ackermann, Chappell, Cosgrove, Dearden, Dexter, Eckersley, Griffiths, Javid, Klein, Parkinson, Raine.

* Leicestershire CCC’s next Specsavers County Championship home game is against leaders Warwickshire CCC on Monday, September 10 (10.30am start). Tickets cost £12 for adults and £2 for under 16s and are available for all four days HERE