Hatherley and Reddings completed their final league game of the campaign on Saturday in pretty much the same way as they have done nearly all their games this season – with a victory.

Not that the club’s flagship team had it all their own way six days ago at North Park because they were pushed all the way by Rockhampton before easing home by 14 runs.

Nevertheless, it was win number 14 for Hatherley in the 18-game West of England Premier League Gloucestershire Division season and when you consider that three of their games were cancelled, they certainly have had an excellent four months.

The title, and with it promotion, was wrapped up a number of weeks ago and coach Gareth Dawson is already looking forward to next season when they will be rubbing shoulders with the likes of Frocester, Thornbury and Goatacre in Premier Two Gloucestershire/Wiltshire Division.

“Yes, we’ve done really well to get promoted,” said Dawson, who took on the coaching role at the start of 2018 after previously being a player at the club.

“It’s been a good season. We said at the start that we wanted to be in a position at the back end of the season to get promoted and that’s what we did.

“We got a few wins at the start of the season and we just kept going and going.”

Dawson picked out the game at Rockhampton at the end of June as being key to their success.

“It was mid-season and it was a hell of a tough contest,” recalled Dawson. “To win that was massive for us. The following week we played Bourton Vale who were second at the time and we beat them.

“That created a bit of gap and gave us a bit of control.”

It certainly did because after the three-wicket win at Rockhampton – Hatherley were chasing 205 – and the 121-run over Bourton Vale, there was to be only one slip-up in the closing weeks of the season.

That was at home to Corse and Staunton in mid-August when, remarkably when you consider how successful they have been this season, Hatherley were bowled out for 69 and lost by four wickets.

Corse and Staunton went on to finish runners-up to Hatherley in the final table, but they were a distant 56 points behind the champions.

“It was a shame that we couldn’t go through the season unbeaten,” said Dawson, “I think the batsmen just had an off day that day.”

That one defeat can’t take the shine off what has been an outstanding campaign, of course, although Dawson knows they will face plenty of tough challenges in 2020.

The club played in Gloucestershire/Wiltshire in 2017 after winning promotion the previous season but came straight back down again.

Dawson played in the first couple of games two years ago but believes the club are in much greater shape to make a better fist of things this time around.

“I think the aim is to establish ourselves in the division,” he said. “We’ve been a bit of a yo-yo club so we need a bit of stability but if we can keep the players together I think we can stay in the division.

“I think the first aim is to stay up but you never know, if we get a few early wins we could push on and finish in the top half of the table or go even further.

“We’ve acquired some good players and some good players have returned to the club. They’ve given us a bit more experience and that is maybe something we’ve missed in the past.”

Captain Owen Price is certainly one of those experienced players and Dawson is a big fan of the off-spinner.

“He’s brilliant on the pitch with the players,” said Dawson. “He’s quite a calm character. He’s got experience and he’s good for the lads because he speaks well to them.

“He’s also got a good sense of humour so there’s a good mix about him.”

But as well as his captaincy, he’s also an important player too.

“He’s bowled his overs and got a lot of wickets this season,” continued Dawson. “North Park helps the spinners and Owen, Max Kelly and Nipuna Gamage have been a big part of our success.”

They are not alone with the returning trio of Tom Hage, Callum Stewart and Daniel Jones all playing key roles.

Andre Soma, who has been a big part of Hatherley for a good number of years now, is another who will have an important role when the club step up a level next season with Dawson saying: “Yes, it will be a bigger challenge but playing in that division is what we aspire to.

“We want to see how we go and keeping our best players will be a big part of that.”