IT is remarkable how a little boost of confidence can change a whole season.

Back in June, Thornbury cricket club’s first team were in the doldrums, laying winless at the bottom of the West of England Prem Two Glos/Wilts league and looking nailed-on certainties to go down.

If you had found a bookies who were willing to take your tenner bet that Thornbury would not just survive this season but thrive to mid-table and aiming for the top four in the final fortnight, you would more than likely have been buying the rounds at The Ship Field on the final day.

For in this year of crazy sporting achievements – Leicester City winning the Premier League title, Wales reaching the European Championships semis and Great Britain returning from the Rio Olympics with a record medal haul – Thornbury’s turnaround in their competition has been somewhat remarkable.

Statistitans have to go back to June 18 for the last time Thornbury lost in the league which was, against Goatacre at The Ship Field, the team they are now vying to overhaul in the race for a top four place.

Since that defeat, Thornbury they enjoyed victories over Burbage and Easton Royal and a sensational batting display against runaway leaders Lechlade to name just two of successive victims they turned over.

Throughout, Thornbury have been lead by captain Richard Trotman who, himself, has lead by example with some great bowling performances.

Trotman admitted that The Ship Field clubhouse was not the most positive during the run but now, after some words of advice from a senior England coach, Thornbury have turned it around to great effect.

Thornbury were playing badly in the six straight defeats they suffered until eventually breaking their duck but, when they won away at Burbage and Easton Royal by seven wickets, it would have been a brave man to predict their remarkable run of success from then on.

Trotman said: “We were not a million miles away from winning despite losing the first six matches. We were chasing leads and managed to throw away three of those six.

“The batting was letting us down but I think one of the key figures (in the revival) was Dan Davis returning to the club. He had gone down to Falmouth to be their professional but it didn’t work out “Also, I pulled in a mate of mine for a few games – Chris Taylor – and with his position in the England set-up (fielding coach), he instilled a bit of confidence in the team.”

Thornbury are not in a position to challenge for promotion this season despite their run of success but neither are they under threat of relegation.

And that all means that The Ship Field is a happy clubhouse as far as the first XI are concerned now.

Trotman added: “When we played six and lost six, the club was not the nicest place to be. There was doom and gloom. It’s now a better place and Saturdays are much nicer.”

Now, the Thornbury skipper hopes his side remember that advice from Taylor for the future.

And if someone had been brave in July after that run of defeats and put that bet on at the bookies, they would have been quids in today!