Far more than just Marshall Hatchick Two Counties Championship division one points are up for grabs at the Park in Witham today.

Local bragging rights will go to the victors as well as top-flight spoils as Witham and Braintree cricket clubs go head-to-head in their second clash of the summer.

It was today’s hosts who won the opening encounter in May when they triumphed by 131 runs at Braintree, but the two teams are poised very differently for this second clash compared to the first.

Braintree were still looking for their first win back then after moving up into division one, but head into the return game on the back of some impressive recent form, including last weekend’s 132-run win against Frinton twos.

While Witham, who are still third, come into the derby clash looking to bounce back after a “bad day at the office” at Mistley and Braintree skipper Will Jackson feels things will be different this time around.

He said: “The (Braintree) personnel won’t be too different, but the mentality will be.

“When we played Witham at home, we had lost our first couple of games and had a couple of injuries and there was a bit of a question mark hanging over us whether we really could compete at this top level.

“However, we’ve now put a number of good wins together and now just against sides at the bottom; we’ve beaten top sides like Wivenhoe and Frinton, who were pushing at the top early on.

“So the personnel may not be different but in terms of belief, we are a very changed side.

“Witham also got beaten at the weekend and they’ve lost a few other games and that shows that anyone in our league can get beaten.

“We’d love to go there and beat them and take another scalp.

“We are going there full of confidence after two good wins against top sides and having taken meaningful points against Mildenhall.

“They have been important results as teams around us have also been finding form, but a lot of them have been playing sides around them, while we’ve been taking some top scalps.

“Witham will have seen that we can take wickets against those top sides and can score big runs so we will be feeling confident that we can do it again.”

Jackson said he expected Rory Ainsley to return to Braintree’s line-up for the trip to Witham after being unavailable for the first team last week.

Meanwhile, Witham captain Jake Wakelin is backing his players to come back strongly after a disappointing result at Mistley.

“Any derby game is important and we’ll be up for this one,” he said.

“We beat them quite convincingly at their place and we know that they’ll be up for it as well.

“We need to bounce back as we have slipped behind the top two after losing last weekend, but there are now seven games left and anything can happen.

“We have to get back to winning ways after a bad day at the office.

“We back each other to do that and while we know it wasn’t good enough at Mistley, there was no finger pointing after that game as we are a team.

“Braintree have been in form and seem to be got used to cricket in this division, but we know we are one of the best teams in the league and that we can beat anyone.

“We are still third in the league and finished second last year.

“So I’m looking for the boys to come back from a loss.

“We’re looking forward to it and if we perform as I know we can, then I know we can win.”

Wakelin said he expected a strong side to be facing Braintree and he may have some selection dilemmas, with both James Suett and Matt McKendry back available after missing last week.