Fylde coast cricket preview: Thornton Cleveleys look to end NPCL 40 Over Cup group stage with victory
Thornton Cleveleys’ skipper has his say as the Northern Premier Cricket League’s 40 Over Cup group stage comes to a conclusion.
Thornton Cleveleys CC captain Josh Sackfield admits he’ll be glad to see the back of the Northern Premier Cricket League’s 40 Over Cup after this weekend.
Clubs play the last of their group stage matches with the top eight sealing their places in the knockout stages.
TC visit Preston with nothing on the line for either club, given Sackfield’s players have won two and lost three of their five games while the hosts have had four defeats so far.
While determined to bow out on a winning note, Sackfield believes the cup needs to be restructured.
He said: “We’re obviously looking for the win but I’m quite glad this cup is ending.
“It’s pretty monotonous for clubs like us, so I would rather play a knockout instead.
“You get to this stage and if you aren’t in with a chance of the last eight, it feels like you’re playing for nothing; it’s almost a friendly.
“Our aim is always to try and perform, and win the game, but you look at the Meyler Cup, the Crabtree Cup: they are knockout competitions and I just can’t understand why this isn’t.”
All the same, Saturday’s game offers TC a chance of redemption after a home defeat against Preston in division two of the NPCL at the end of May.
Preston departed Illawalla with a seven-wicket win, so there is plenty of motivation for the TC camp to try and atone for that result.
“We didn’t perform against them at our place,” Sackfield added.
“We definitely want to show them what we’re all about.
“It’s a winnable game and it’s not like we can’t compete at this level, we’ve just played against some good cricketers from the league above in the last two (cup) games.”
SATURDAY
Northern Premier Cricket League 40 Over Cup (12.30pm): Fleetwood v Euxton, Great Eccleston v Lytham, Kendal v Blackpool, Preston v Thornton Cleveleys, St Annes v Fulwood and Broughton.
Palace Shield Championship (12.30pm): Fylde v Garstang 2.
Palace Shield First Division (12.30pm): Blackpool 2 v Croston, Kirkham and Wesham v Leyland 2, Longridge 2 v Fleetwood 2.
SUNDAY
Meyler Cup (1pm): Kirkham and Wesham v Penrith.