The Vice-captain wants the Bears to just concentrate on themselves and not the hunting pack.
Vice-captain Dom Sibley believes Warwickshire’s innings and-47-runs victory over Gloucestershire last week provided the perfect springboard as they enter “crunch time” in the Specsavers County Championship.
The Bears face Glamorgan at Colwyn Bay on Wednesday top of Division Two but with Sussex and Kent still in hot pursuit in the quest for the two promotion places.
Six wins from nine games have put Warwickshire in a strong position, but they must keep up the pressure.
We just concentrate on what we do as a team and now the focus is on Glamorgan away and trying to get another win there.
Dom Sibley
Runs on the board will be key to that so Sibley and opening partner Will Rhodes will be aiming to deliver more of the same after the Gloucestershire game. Their opening stand of 161 (Rhodes 137, Sibley 65) overtook the opponents’ first-innings total by itself and left the team in an immensely strong position.
“It was a good win against Gloucestershire from a really strong team performance to start off what is a period of championship cricket which is going to be crunch time,” Sibley said.
“I enjoyed spending some time out there with Rhodesy. We were quite lucky in that the sun came out for us when we batted, but there was a bit in it for the bowlers the whole time so it wasn’t easy. But with a quick outfield and fielders in, so some gaps in the field, it was nice to take advantage of that.
“The partnership is starting to go well and we managed to get the innings off to a nice start. I didn’t quite kick on like he did so on a personal note that was disappointing but it was brilliant to see Rhodesy get another hundred. He is going really well.”
Warwickshire’s victory over Gloucestershire, completed in two days, put pressure on Kent and Sussex to win their games but both southern counties responded powerfully to stay right on the Bears’ heels.
With the Bears’ last two games of the season away to Sussex and at home to Kent, it promises to be an engrossing end to the season.
For now, attention is solely on Glamorgan and Colwyn Bay, a venue which Warwickshire have visited only once before, in 2005 when they won by ten wickets.
“We try not to look too much at what other teams are doing,” said Sibley. “We just concentrate on what we do as a team and now the focus is on Glamorgan away and trying to get another win there.
“It’s crunch time. The Gloucestershire win was a great way to start and now hopefully we just keep backing it up.”
