Thornton Cleveleys CC 2026 preview: New captain looks to lead from the front
Josh Sackfield is excited at the prospect ahead as he leads Thornton Cleveleys into their second Northern Premier Cricket League campaign.
Sackfield is the new captain at Illawalla this year, replacing Richard Jenkinson who will lead the second XI instead.
He said: “It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a while, so when Richard was stepping down, I put my name in the frame.
“I’m very close with Richard and we do chat a bit so, with his dedication to the club and the role, his are massive shoes to fill.
“I can’t wait for the season to start. It’s been a bit of a hit-and-miss winter in that the turnout at the nets hasn’t been as great as we’d have liked, but I’m optimistic we can perform.”
Jenkinson has no doubts as to his successor’s capabilities, having backed him to lead from the front with the bat.
Sackfield has been a prolific scorer with TC and is hopeful of a return to that form this year.
“It wasn’t the greatest of seasons with the bat last year,” he acknowledged.
“I’ve been doing well in the nets so far but it’s one of those where you have to play each game and each ball on their merits.”
Last year’s overseas amateur, New Zealander Josh Borrell, is back in 2026 as TC begin with Saturday’s home NPCL 40 Over Cup group match against Settle.
The hope is for a better start this time around after a dreadful beginning left them playing catch-up a year ago.
They lost their first 11 league and cup games before a two-run defeat of Vernon Carus kickstarted a much better second half.
Seven wins in 11 before a final day abandonment at Vernons meant a fifth-placed finish, comfortably clear of the teams below them.
“We said to ourselves that once we got one win on the board, we got on a run,” Sackfield added.
“It’s taking that momentum from how we finished last year into this year.
“With the cup games first, we can experiment and give people a chance because you don’t know if they are going to perform.”