CAPTAIN Louis Cant feels a trip to the seaside on Saturday will be an early chance for Braintree Cricket Club to prove their title credentials in division two of this year's Marshall Hatchick Two Counties Championships.

Cant led Braintree to an opening day 125-run victory against Dunmow in his first game in charge last weekend and they will head to Ashlyns Road to face Frinton seconds with confidence.

The new skipper said ahead of the opening fixture that his target was for Braintree to claim the division two crown this season and he sees Saturday's action against a side who were playing in the top flight last year as an early test of that.

He said: "Every win is important for us this year; I think we were probably expected to win against a team coming up from division three (Dunmow), but we have a chance this coming Saturday to really prove ourselves as title contenders, against a side coming down from division one.

"We’re looking good.

"We’ve got a couple of key players unavailable, but everyone coming into the side is capable and experienced in contributing to a winning side at this level."

Cant was pleased with how his team performed with bat and ball in their season's opener and felt it bodes well for the coming campaign.

"Overall it was a great team performance with everyone playing a part," he added.

"Every batsman got into at least double figures and the stand out performance from Dan Garner was a real example of the talent we have in the squad.

"If our bowling attack performs that well every week, it doesn’t matter who our opponents are, we will stand a good chance of winning.

"I’m very pleased that we were not complacent in facing, what was perceived to be, one of our easier opponents this year and as a bowling and fielding unit we didn’t put a foot wrong.

"We now need every one of our batting line up to be accountable this week.

"We gave a couple of our wickets away cheaply and we know we can’t do that against a side like Frinton seconds and expect to win.

"We were positive from start to finish and plan on taking that mentality into every game."

Dan Garner top scored with 76 against Dunmow, while dean Bass hit 39 and Warren Celiz and Will Jackson both got into the 30s at the top of the order as Braintree made 263 for eight, before Matt Hollingsworth and Robbie Spalding took three wickets apiece in Dunmow being bowled out for 138.

Cant said: "We got off to a flying start in the first innings, with Will Jackson and Warren Celiz both taking the attack to the bowlers and getting huge value for their shots on what must of been the best pitch in Essex, for this time of year.

"Unfortunately we lost regular wickets with all of our batsman getting good starts and failing to capitalise on them, which is not unexpected for the first game of the season.

"Luckily Dan Garner started his innings patiently, before waiting for the right moment to start putting his foot down.

"He played the perfect middle order innings, playing in a controlled manner and really punishing the bowlers for being even slightly off of their line or length.

"From the moment we stepped on the pitch as bowling side, we completely controlled the game.

"Our seam bowlers didn’t give the Dunmow batsmen an inch and really got everything they could out of the pitch.

"en Golds and Josh Newman really starved the top order and that allowed for Robbie Spalding and Matt Hollingsworth to step up and take three wickets apiece, to really put the nail in the coffin for our opponents."