DAN Cox believes Old Hill do not require major changes after their incredible escape from relegation.
The Haden Hill side completed the great escape in Birmingham League Division One last Saturday when they won at Whitchurch and Coventry and North Warwickshire were beaten at Walmley.
It capped an amazing turnaround for a side who with two games to go were almost 30 points adrift of safety.
Cox, who confirmed he will be staying on as skipper, admits the club must learn from the mistakes made over the summer but feels they have the nucleus of a competitive side.
He said: “The first thing we want to do is retain the players from this year.
“I think we have shown in the last couple of games we have the basis of a decent side but we have not fired over the season.
“We are probably missing a couple of experienced heads on in both the batting and bowling departments.
“There is no doubt we have had a shock and club does not want to be in the same position next year.
“I think sometimes you have to hit rock bottom to know what needs fixing.”
Nitesh Patel cracked an impressive 113 and Dmitri Ratnayake an unbeaten 78 as Old Hill amassed 249-2 from 52 overs.
Whitchurch reached 80 without loss in reply but the introduction of Humais Butt and Ratnayake sparked a collapse. The latter claimed 5-42 as the hosts collapsed to 133 all out.
The win and survival meant a happy end to what has often been a torrid first season for Cox as skipper but he says the team never lost faith.
He said: “A lot of people had written us off but the ones who mattered didn’t. I’ve had a lot of support this season when I needed it and I won’t forget that.
“There are others who drifted away and only came back when things picked up late on. I won’t forget that either.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here