Fylde coast cricket preview: Blackpool skipper isn't getting carried away by topping the table

Ben Howarth isn’t taking too much notice of the table just yet despite Blackpool sitting top of the Northern Premier Cricket League First Division.

Three wins in their four completed matches so far leave Blackpool at the summit, one point ahead of Garstang with almost a third of the league season gone.

Although Settle are well adrift at the foot of the table, the same cannot be said of the rest with Blackpool only 12 points ahead of second-bottom Chorley.

“I wouldn’t read too much into the table at the moment,” Blackpool’s captain said.

“There’s a hell of a lot of cricket to play in June so we might know a bit more about how the season’s going at the end of this month.

“I was keen for us to get off to a quick start, though we haven’t done that in all the competitions.

“We’ve managed to do it a bit in the league and hopefully we can continue with that.

“The last two seasons, we’ve finished really strongly but not put ourselves in a good position in the first half - but hopefully we can keep ourselves up there.”

Next up for Blackpool is Saturday’s trip to Chorley, whom Howarth believes are much better than their present league position suggests.

“I don’t think they’re a bottom two side if I’m perfectly honest,” he said.

“They are a good side with good players, someone like Keegan Petersen speaks for himself really.

“Not many teams go there and beat them, so I’m not looking at it as playing a bottom two team because if they win and other results go their way, they could be something like fourth on Saturday night.”

Saturday’s match begins a run of four away games in five this month for Blackpool’s players, with Lancashire playing six matches in three weeks at Stanley Park.

The Red Rose’s programme starts with a Vitality Blast match against Glamorgan on Sunday (2.30pm) for the men, who also play Kent in a four-day game from June 12-15.

Thunder meet Hampshire Hawks (June 9) and Warwickshire Bears (June 28) in the Women’s Vitality Blast, either side of the ladies’ Metro Bank One Day Cup games with The Blaze (June 17) and Essex (June 23).

While pleased to see the county’s leading lights playing on the Fylde coast, Howarth admits it is something of a double-edged sword.

He said: “We’re away from home for a few weeks now and the seconds don’t play for three weeks.

“However, we’re going to play the same number of games at home and away so it’s just how things work out.

“Selfishly, it hampers us a bit with consistency, training and playing away for a few weeks.

“At the same time, it’s great to have the county up here and using Stanley Park.

“It’s great to have that prestige, seeing all the fans come along and seeing all the players coming to the club.”

SATURDAY

Northern Premier Cricket League First Division (12.30pm): Chorley v Blackpool, Garstang v St Annes.

Northern Premier Cricket League Second Division (12.30pm): Barrow v Great Eccleston, Lytham v Thornton Cleveleys, Penwortham v Fleetwood.

Palace Shield Championship (1pm): Vernon Carus v Fylde.

Palace Shield First Division (1pm): Fleetwood 2 v Penwortham 2, Rufford v Kirkham and Wesham.