CHELTENHAM vice-captain Richard Burcher feels the cricket

club's inability to name a settled side was their downfall this

season.

The Victoria Ground team have been relegated from West of

England Premier One just four years after they ran away with

the league title.

Saturday's defeat to local rivals Frocester was the final

nail in the coffin for Cheltenham after a season which has

included just three wins in 17 games.

"It's been absolutely shocking this season and we're dead

and buried now," said Burcher.

"I think we've used something like 30 players this season

while clubs like (leaders) Bath and Frocester have probably

only used 15 or 16.

"We had quite a youthful team and a lot of the lads were at

university so it never really came together for us.

"I don't think Cheltenham have ever been out of the West of

England Premier League's top flight, so we're really

gutted."

While Cheltenham have been fighting out an unsuccessful

relegation battle with fellow strugglers Bridgwater, Downed and

Ilminster, some of their key players have been impressing on a

bigger stage.

Indian off-spinner Vikrant Yeligeti was playing alongside

the legendary Sachin Tendulkar for Mumbai Indians in the

controversial IPL.

And wicket-keeper Steve Snell has been starring for

Gloucestershire, where he holds the county's second highest

average this season with 48.4.

"Vikrant wasn't available because he was playing in the IPL

and he's now on tour with India A so that didn't help either,"

added Burcher.

"And of course we want the Gloucestershire players on our

books to do well, but their success hasn't done us any

favours.

"Steve Snell's been doing really with the county set-up and

we've also missed Grant Hodnett, who we could always rely on

for runs."

Cheltenham, whose last Premier One game is away at Corsham

on Saturday, will now join last season's relegated pair

Thornbury and Keynsham in the league below.

Both those clubs are struggling in the bottom half of the

2008 table after making the drop and Thornbury could yet suffer

a second successive demotion so Burcher knows a tough test lies

ahead.

"Premier Two will be difficult to get out of," he said. "The

standard's not much different from Premier One.

"Our batting will have to improve drastically because it's

been so weak this season. We've probably only scored more than

200 on two or three occasions. That's not good enough."