DORSET’S disabled cricket team are just two wins away from being crowned the best in the country – but it has already been a momentous season for captain Rob Franks and his players.

The county finished top of the National Disabled Cricket League’s Super 9s South West division for the first time in their history with five victories from six games.

Franks’ men and the three other divisional winners are now into the semi-finals of the national competition, with Dorset set to face Essex in Newark, Nottinghamshire on Sunday, August 16.

For skipper Franks and his side, a big motivating factor in their massive improvement on 2014 has come as the result of some sad news the squad received earlier this year.

Gordon Pickersgill, a pioneer of disability cricket in Dorset, passed away in April following a battle with cancer – his son Mark, who previously captained Dorset, has taken over his dad’s former role of team manager.

And playing in Gordon’s memory has brought out the best in the players, who recorded triumphs over Gloucestershire, twice, Hampshire Royals, Hampshire Hawks and Somerset to claim the South West title.

Looking back over the 2015 campaign so far, Franks, who also captained England in June, told Echosport: “It’s ridiculous to think that we have gone from only winning two games last season to winning the league this year.

“Dorset have never won the league before so even before our semi-final it has been an unprecedented season for us.

“To do it in the same year that our former team manager passed away has made it extra special.

“And I honestly can’t put my finger on why we have been much more successful than last season.”

He added: “We just want people to know what we are about.

“We’ve got a great group of players, we really have, and they work hard for each other.

“A few years ago Dorset were bowled out in a game for five runs, now we are averaging around 200 in each match.”

The dedication of the players in training, at the Delph in Broadstone on Thursdays (5-6pm) and Ferndown Leisure Centre on Fridays (4.30-5.30pm), has certainly paid off this season.

Other than a defeat to the Isle of Wight at Dorchester Rec in their opening fixture, Dorset, with the likes of Franks and Tom Best in full flow, have flourished.

And Franks, whose own disability came after he had a bone tumour in his leg, now wants as many people as possible to make the trip to Newark for the last-four clash with Essex.