SEAN Walbridge is hoping history does not repeat itself over the next three days when his side attempts to capture the Minor Coun-ties Western Division title by beating second-bottom Wales in Bournemouth.

If Dorset win their last game of the campaign and league leaders Berk-shire lose theirs to Cornwall then the trophy will head to Dean Park for the first time in 10 years.

However, Walbridge’s men have been in this position before. Back in 2008, they required a win against Oxfordshire on the final day to secure the championship but things did not go according to plan as they fell to a 15-run defeat at Dean Park, handing Berkshire the honours.

This time around, Dorset are the ones playing catch up as they trail Berkshire at the top of the table by eight points.

And it is because of that statistic, that Walbridge is urging his men to concentrate solely on their own destiny rather than falling into the trap of getting pre-occupied with what is happening in Truro.

He said: “All we can do is control our own destiny and that is beating Wales before waiting to see how Berkshire get on against Cornwall.

“We were in a similar position two years ago when we would have won the title had we beaten Oxfordshire in our final game.

The pressure was on and we ended up losing but hopefully we have learned from that experience and will be stronger this time around.”

Dorset will be without several key players for the match, including Max Waller, Rob Ferley, Rupes Kitzinger and Jack Leach, but Walbridge has full faith in the those remaining that they can get the required result.

He added: “It is frustrating not being able to put out the line-up I would ideally want. However, I also think it speaks volumes about the strength of the squad we have at the minute that we can be missing so many players and still be in a position to put such a strong side out.

“Rob Ferley has a knee injury and is replaced by Josh Lawrence, Chris Park returns to action and comes in for Paul Tweddle, while Eric Linge takes the place of Max Waller, who will be on duty with Somerset today at the Twenty20 Finals Day at the Rose Bowl. He also has a Pro40 game on Monday.

“As for Jack Leach, he will be involved in a second-team game with Somerset this weekend while Rupes Kitzinger is unavailable due to his coaching commitments with the Sussex Ladies team.”

Commenting further on the reinforcements he has brought in, Walbridge went on to add: “Eric and Josh have both played really well this season. They haven’t pulled up any trees but they have performed solidly throughout the summer and I have had no problems with calling them back in.

“The big one coming back into the side though, is Chris Park. He is a major part of the side both behind the stumps and with the bat.”

The race for the title is not just a two-horse race as Devon could also sneak in and claim the silverware if they beat Oxfordshire. But Walbridge reckons even if Berkshire and his side lose, the table-toppers should gain enough bonus points to ensure that does not materialise.

He said: “You never know what could happen on the final day but as I said before all we can do is focus on what we do.

“Wales have a lot of youngsters in their side and have been a bit of an unknown quantity this year. As their results have proved, one week they can be good and the next they can falter, so we will have to be on our guard.

“The key is to get on top of them early and try and dominate. The wicket at Dean Park tends to have a bit in it for the bowlers, so the batsmen will have to play well to score runs. It promises to be an intriguing contest.”

Dorset: N Park, Williams, Lawrence, Treagus, Cowley, Hicks, C Park, Metcalfe, Denham, Linge, Wilson, Jacques.