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Title-winning Godmanchester Town turn their attention to promotion bid
Godmanchester celebrate their Tucker Gardner League Division One title triumph. Picture: PAUL RUSHFORTH - Credit: Archant
Proud captain Matt Pateman insists Godmanchester’s glorious Tucker Gardner League Division One title triumph has been five years in the making.
Unbeaten Town clinched top spot with a game to spare last Saturday after sole challengers Wisbech, who they face this Saturday on the final day of the season, slipped to defeat.
It meant they would have been crowned champions even if they failed to beat 2014 kings Ramsey, but Pateman’s men dug deep to claim a 13-run success with four balls to spare at The Parks. They removed Ramsey for 171 in pursuit of their own offering of 184-9.
Pateman said: “It is a great feeling to have won the title – one of relief and emotion.
“We came up with a five-year plan to rebuild the club when I took over as captain and we have achieved it.
“We were aware of Wisbech being beaten, but we were not about to take it easy ourselves. The unbeaten record means a lot to us and we found a way to get past Ramsey.
“It might not be the title showdown against Wisbech that a lot of people would have liked, but it is still a big game and one in which we are determined not to slip up.
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“It would be a remarkable achievement to go through the entire Division One season unbeaten but that’s the goal.”
Now, with title glory still sinking in, Pateman has already turned his attention to leading Godmanchester to promotion into the East Anglian Premier League (EAPL).
The club spent 10 seasons playing at that level and are now two games away from a possible return as they enter promotion play-offs.
They travel to Norfolk Alliance winners Fakenham this Sunday for a play-off semi-final with the winners of that game then meeting Two Counties League champions Sudbury on September 19.
Pateman added: “It is important for any club to aspire to be the best it possibly can be.
“Myself and a few of the other guys played at EAPL level so we know the standard of cricket and the level of commitment required.
“It will certainly be a tough transition if we are successful in being promoted, but it is a challenge we will relish.
“My dream has always been to play for Godmanchester in the EAPL again and hopefully that can happen.”
