Fylde coast cricket preview: Fleetwood prepare for Meyler Cup date with Morecambe

Having won the Moore and Smalley Palace Shield Division One T20 play-offs at the end of July, the Broadwater club leads the Premier Division by 34 points with five games left.

They meet nearest rivals Great Eccleston tomorrow, looking for a 16th win from 18 league matches in their bid for a return to the Northern Premier Cricket League.

Then, on Sunday, they meet Morecambe in the final of the Meyler Cup at Thornton Cleveleys’ Illawalla home.

“It’s certainly been so far, so good,” the captain said when summing up the campaign to date.

“If somebody had said three months ago that we’d do what we have so far, I’d have snapped their hand off.

“We’ve won the T20, so we’ve already got one trophy, and hopefully we can finish off by winning the league – and maybe even the cup as well.

“We’re doing everything we can and there’s no reason why we can’t do it (the treble) but we’re definitely not taking anything for granted: we’re preparing properly for every game.”

Founder members of the Northern Premier Cricket League, Fleetwood’s 70-year stay in the competition ended when they finished bottom of the table in 2021.

Their response was to appoint former St Annes opener and Pakistan international Atiq-Uz-Zaman as coach, as well as bring in Australian amateur Zac Corcoran from the Ringwood club in Melbourne.

Corcoran has been one of the key performers in Fleetwood’s season, taking 70 wickets this year at an average of fewer than 10.

His performances have aided what could have been a difficult campaign with Fleetwood’s former Northern League status putting a target on their backs for the rest of the division.

Sharrocks acknowledged: “We feel like everybody wants to beat us but that’s part of it.

“You have to take that in your stride but we just focus on ourselves and I’ve been clear to the lads all season about that.

“If we can perform how we can, then we should be able to win games and not worry about other teams.

“What we’ve found this season is the Palace Shield is very different in terms of the pros as clubs have overseas amateurs.

“The grounds are different because a lot of them are smaller than the Northern League but the Palace Shield is still a very competitive competition.

“It’s got lots of really good cricketers within it and, from our experience this season, I wouldn’t criticise the Palace Shield at all.”

TOMORROW’S FIXTURES

Northern Premier Cricket League (12.30pm): Blackpool v Kendal, Vernon Carus v St Annes.

Moore and Smalley Palace Shield Premier Division (1pm): Eccleston v Thornton Cleveleys, Fleetwood v Great Eccleston, Kirkham and Wesham v Penwortham.

Division 1A (1pm): Fylde v Withnell Fold.

Division 1B (1pm): Great Eccleston 2 v Fleetwood 2, Morecambe 2 v Blackpool 2, Thornton Cleveleys 2 v Chorley 2.

Division 2 (1pm): Norcross v Fulwood and Broughton 3, St Annes 2 v Vernon Carus 2, Wrea Green v Torrisholme 2.

Liverpool Competition First Division (12pm): Lytham v Fleetwood Hesketh (Ormskirk 2 v Lytham 2; 12.45pm).

SUNDAY

40 Over Cup (1.30pm): Longridge v St Annes.

Meyler Cup Final (1pm): Fleetwood v Morecambe.