Richard Basden is looking for a little respect.

No, not for himself. As a proven veteran of Cup Match and international fame he has that.

Rather it's his club team, Willow Cuts, that he feels has and is largely disregarded by local cricket pundits, writes Patrick Bean.

And while Saturday's capture of the Western Counties crown allowed them to retrieve a measure of success from an admittedly sub-par season, not much credence is being afforded them in regard the race to see who will wear the mantle Champion of Champions.

Indeed, in the minds of many the final has already been set as one featuring the might of the east, St. David's, against that of the central region, Western Stars, with Cuts an unwanted addition.

However, Basden has a message for both ... don't underestimate the might of Cuts.

"Everybody's looking at it as St. David's against Stars, but we'll have something to say about that," said Basden on Saturday, following his side's total dismantling of Warwick in the Western Counties final at White Hill Field. "It doesn't matter who we have to play, we'll be there representing the West and truly feel we have a chance of beating either of them.

"I remember back in `91 when we had to play St. David's. Back then they were unbeaten and had been going through everybody and nobody was giving us a chance and we beat them, so anything's possible and we're confident of doing it again."