AFTER limping to defeat against Stroud last weekend, Mark Vincent’s Wootton Bassett hope to bounce back into an early-season rhythm with victory at Gloucester City Winget in Glos/Wilts One tomorrow.

A worrying batting collapse combined with a bad bout of dropsy in the field as Stroud easily chased down Bassett’s modest total, but Vincent remains adamant his team have the belief to halt the decline before it gets any steeper.

“Last week was disappointing, but noone is too disheartened and everyone is optimistic we can bounce back at Gloucester,” he said.

“There are a lot of people behind the club, who believe in the club, and it is a good opportunity to get right back in amongst it tomorrow.”

Last year, Bassett stood on the precipice of a famous win over Gloucester, only to be outwitted by the elements, and that precedent gives Vincent and his squad confidence as they make the trek down the A419.

“When we went down there last season, we posted 200-plus and then had Gloucester 20-odd for three,” said the skipper.

“Knowing that, anything can happen so we’ve got to go in there and back ourselves.”

On a track which is expected to favour the batsmen, Bassett are well aware of the threat posed by a potent Gloucester top order.

But Vincent has faith in his bowlers, whose testing line and length briefly gave the Rylands Way side a glimpse of victory against Stroud, and knows early wickets could well be the difference between the sides.

“If we bat first, we would hope to put on 200 or more, and if they bat first we know we could well be facing a target of 200 or more,” he said.

“What we need is a few wickets in the first few overs and see if we can cause a bit of a shake-up in their middle-order.

“We know anything can happen as that’s been shown before.”

Far from running the rule over his beaten side during training in midweek, Vincent is giving those who failed to pull their weight last time out the opportunity redeem themselves with an improved display tomorrow.

And the Bassett captain has every faith in his players’ abilities, despite the absence of seamer Jas Chalal.

“I’m not going to be a dictator to them. I’m a carrot man rather than a stick man,” he said.

“The top four know they didn’t turn up last week, and they know they didn’t perform.

“Sometimes you just have to hold your hand up and say that, and they have done and I expect them to make amends.”