SKIPPER Ben Turner is urging his senior players to 'give their all' in Monmouth Cricket Club's end-of-season promotion run-in. Turner has led Monmouth to third spot in the Thomas, Carroll Glamorgan and Monmouthshire League Division Three with just four matches remaining. The border club face a tricky match this Saturday at sixth-placed Whitchurch Heath, whom they lost at home to earlier in the campaign. Monmouth are third in the division – with only two promotion spots up for grabs – but they are scheduled to travel to second-placed Dinas Powys in the final match of the campaign. Turner said: "We have got ourselves into an excellent position to challenge for promotion after winning seven successive matches but we can't rest now. "It has been a fantastic team effort from everyone involved at the club this season – and we need our experienced players to give their all in our last four matches and continue to show the tremendous attitude and application they have throughout the summer." Vice-captain Josh Grey is the leading run-scorer in Division Three this season with 529 league runs, including four half-centuries and a century, at an average of 58.77. Teenage opener Matthew Jones has also had a good season for Monmouth, hitting 286 runs at an average of 31.77. Former Malpas player Neil 'Naz' Smith has made a big impression in his debut season for Monmouth and is the joint-leading wicket-taker in Division Three. Smith has bagged 20 wickets at 15.75, including a best haul of 6-15, while Alim Hansraj and Jonathan Jones have both taken 15 wickets and Aled Jones, 11. Perhaps not surprisingly, Monmouth's top-of-the-table clash with leaders Lisvane was washed out at the Sports Ground last weekend without a ball bowed. In fact, only one match was played in Division Three last Saturday and fourth-placed Ponthir suffered a narrow 13-run derby defeat against Monkswood in a reduced overs match. Monmouth, who are sponsored by JD Wetherspoon, are scheduled to face both Ponthir and Monkswood before travelling to Dinas Powys on the last day of the season. Turner said: "We have four cup finals left – and we will need to work hard in all of them and dig in, even when things might not be going in our favour, to stand a chance of finishing in the top two."

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