COLCHESTER and East Essex are closing in on promotion back to the Shepherd Neame Essex League top flight.

But player-coach Jonny Bassett-Graham is taking nothing for granted, with two games of the division one season to go.

Colchester are currently sitting pretty at the top of the table, ahead of their top-of-the-table clash at Woodford Wells tomorrow.

They lie 35 points clear at the top and can seal promotion this weekend – but Bassett-Graham is staying focused.

He said: “It’s a case of so far, so good but we don’t see it as job done.

“The plan at the start of the season was to try and win the league and that will also see us promoted.

“We’re not really looking at how many points we’ll need at the moment.

“We just want to win every game and then guarantee that we can win the league.

“It’s a great game for us to look forward to this weekend against the second-placed team in Woodford Wells, who are playing some great cricket themselves.

“Woodford Wells are on a massive winning streak – they’re definitely one of the form teams in our division, in terms of successive wins.

“I’ve always felt that in this division, any team can win against anyone else on their day.

“We respect them as opposition so we know we’ll have to earn it.”

Colchester’s youngsters have been in fine form for the club’s first XI in their promotion chase, this season.

And they showed that the future looks very bright for the Castle Park club when they lifted the Essex U19 T20 Trophy, last weekend.

“It’s incredibly promising for the club,” said Bassett-Graham.

“The youth that’s coming through and the way that they’re playing is very exciting for everyone.

“Joe MacGregor has only just turned 17.

“The future looks very bright at the club.

“There’s a really good crop of youngsters who are putting some pressure on some of the older players at the club.

“There’s a fair bit of competition at the moment throughout the club and that’s a good thing to have, because it creates a better standard of cricket.

“There were four boys in that side who were in the under-19 T20 final last year and unfortunately, didn’t get the win.

“They had some experience of getting to a County Ground final and not getting the result they had wanted, so this was a sweet win for them.”