Westwood wants more of the same as Warwickshire bid to secure County Championship title
Warwickshire head coach Ian Westwood is challenging his team to continue their good form as they bid to win the Rothesay County Championship for a ninth time this week.
The Bears take on Leicestershire at Edgbaston Stadium on Thursday, sitting 11 points clear at the top of the table as they head into the last game of the season.
Warwickshire thrashed Essex inside two days last week, and that result, couple with defeats for both Somerset and Nottinghamshire, means the Bears are favourites to lift the crown.
“We’ve played some nice cricket,” Westwood told Edgbaston.com. “We’ve been on the road for three games, back-to-back, so it’s been good to spend some time away with each other.
"We’ve played some good cricket and had a few good results.
“We’ve had a mission over the last few games. We wanted to play positively, and we wanted to really enjoy ourselves and that’ll be the case this week.
“It’s a nice position to be in to have the lead, knowing that it’s in our hands, but we need to make sure we put in a performance.”
Leicestershire produced an outstanding fightback against Hampshire last week, chasing down 334 on the final day to maintain their slim hope of survival, and Westwood is expecting a stern test.
“Leicester are a good team,” he added. “I’m expecting them to bring everything they’ve got.
“There’s mathematically still a chance that they can stay up if they get a really good win and results go for them, so I’m they’ll give it their all.
“They’ve got some good players, and I’m sure they’ll be playing with a lot of pride.”
A win would see Warwickshire lift a first division one title for five years and a ninth in the club’s history, while a draw could also see them gain the 14 points they require.
Westwood has been in this position before, winning twice as a player in 2004 and 2012, while being part of the coaching staff when they won in 2021, and says to get over the line as head coach would be incredibly special.
“It would be right up there,” he said. “I’ve been lucky enough to be involved in a few Championship wins as a player and as part of the coaching staff, but this has felt like a very special group this year.
“The amount of effort that goes into even getting into this position is huge and it feels like they’re ready. If we do go on and win it, it’ll be fully deserved.
“Everyone’s fit. We’re benefitting from those early wins, so we’ve had plenty of time to rest. It’s felt like a long time since day two of Essex when we wrapped up, so we’re all eager to get under way.”
Westwood had a final word for the supporters that have followed the side home and away this season ahead of the season finale.
“We’ve had a lot of support and I expect nothing different this week,” he added. “Hopefully we can put in a good performance for them to be proud of.
“We’ve felt their backing all season and we’re feeling it now and hopefully we can do the business.”
Day one gets under way at 10.30am on Thursday (Sept 24).