SKIPPER Louis Cant is pleased that his Braintree Cricket Club are where they want to be as the Marshall Hatchick Two Counties Championship division two season reached its halfway point.

Braintree concluded the opening half of their campaign with a 168-run win against Kelvedon & Feering as Warren Celiz once again led the scoring with a second consecutive home century and Dean Bass claimed a five-wicket haul in a comprehensive victory.

That kept Braintree 28 points clear at the top of the division two table and in pole position to complete the title target that Cant set for his team at the start of the summer.

Aside from a frustrating defeat at Little Bardfield, the captain is pleased with how his side have performed in the opening part of the campaign, but he knows his high-flying side must stay at the top of their game as others look to topple them from their perch in the second half.

Cant said: "It has gone exactly the way we wanted it too, with only one real hiccup.

"But we know how quickly things can change and I’m sure the second half will be challenging, with every team looking to make their mark on our season.

"There’s not much we can improve on, but we need to keep attacking every side we face, without taking it easy and getting complacent.

"Just because we beat sides easily the first time round, does not mean it will happen again.

"Various factors come in to play now, such as players returning from university, which means we could be facing completely different teams."

But Cant and his players know exactly what it will take to convert their encouraging position into a title-winning season this year.

He added: "Patience, consistency, belief and professionalism all the way to the end."

Those traits were clearly evident as Braintree faced Kelvedon last weekend.

Celiz led the way with the bat, hitting 112 of the team's 290 for nine from their 45 overs, before Bass and Major Singh ripped through the Kelvedon line-up, recording figures of five for 26 and four for 22 respectively as the visitors were all out for 122 inside 32 overs.

The form of Celiz and Bass this year has been a big factor in Braintree's success and Cant is pleased to see two important members of his squad stepping up week after week.

"It’s amazing," he said.

"The form both of them are in at the moment, gives confidence to the entire team and allows all us to play with a fearless attitude."

However, Braintree know the job is far from done and will be looking for a strong start to the second half of their campaign when they head to Dunmow on Saturday.

Cant said a couple of injuries may mean some changes to their bowling attack, but he is confident of the depth of talent in his squad to get the result they want.

He added: "With Ben Golds out with various injuries and Josh Newman unable to bowl, due to a broken finger, our opening bowling options are lighter than we would like.

"But we have the experience of Steve Hale to fall back on and Robbie Spalding returns to the team, to hopefully produce another magic spell, like he has on a few occasions this season."