Fylde coast cricket preview: Fleetwood skipper vows to avoid complacency

Table-topping Fleetwood are looking for a 15th victory from 17 Premier Division matches this season when they travel to bottom club Croston.

They go into the game 35 points clear of nearest challengers Great Eccleston, who occupy the second promotion spot but are only six points ahead of fourth-placed Morecambe.

In contrast, their hosts are firmly rooted to the foot of the table, 36 points from safety after losing their last nine matches.

Their last win came against Barrow at the start of June, one of only two they have recorded during the 2022 season.

Onlookers may consider tomorrow’s match a no-win game for Fleetwood, given they are fully expected to win and it would be a big shock if they were to lose.

“We’ll certainly be favourites going into it from the point of view that we’re top and they’re bottom,” Sharrocks acknowledged.

“We did play well against them at home when we bowled them out (for 73) and chased a low total to win.

“At the same time, they have got some good players and I keep saying to our players every week – and they’re probably bored of it! – but it’s the case that we have to try and treat every game the same.

“It doesn’t matter whether we’re playing a team at the top end of the table or at the bottom, if we don’t do that then we will slip up and find ourselves losing a couple of games.”

While Fleetwood’s success so far this year has been a team effort, their bowling attack has taken centre stage.

They have earned 38 bowling points over the course of the season, the joint-highest in the division alongside Eccleston.

Those have been accumulated in a campaign which hasn’t seen any team reach 200 runs against Fleetwood this summer.

Kirkham and Wesham have come closest, posting 181-6 when inflicting Fleetwood’s only defeat of the season upon them in mid-July.

Sharrocks added: “That was a game we felt we didn’t play well in but, fair play to Kirkham and Wesham, they beat us on the day and fully deserved to.

“They won the key moments on the day but there have been many key moments in matches this season where we’ve managed to win them.

“The lads are full of confidence and rightly so. That’s been reflected in the performances and we’re playing well.

“You can see they’re enjoying their cricket and are doing well, which means we win more games than we lose.”

TOMORROW’S FIXTURES

Northern Premier Cricket League (12.30pm): Penrith v Blackpool, St Annes v Leyland.

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

Division 1A (1pm): Grimsargh v Fylde.

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

Division 2 (1pm): Ingol with Freckleton v Wrea Green, Penwortham 3 v St Annes 2, Torrisholme 2 v Norcross.

Liverpool Competition First Division (12pm): Spring View v Lytham (Lytham 2 v Newton-le-Willows 2, 12.45pm).