Leyland aiming to keep the heat on the top two

Leyland Cricket Club first host Barrow, Northern League cricket action. Leyland celebrate.

Leyland suffered their first Northern Premier Cricket League Division One defeat of the campaign to Barrow on Saturday.

And Makinson – who missed the game due to a back injury – hopes his side can bounce back and climb back up towards top spot.

The defeat saw them slip from first place to third, with Barrow overtaking them and Fleetwood rising to the top.

It is a triple-header now with Leyland hosting Morecambe in the league on Saturday, travelling to Garstang in the ECB National Knock Out on Sunday and an away league clash at Darwen on bank holiday Monday.

And Makinson is keen to take advantage of Fleetwood’s lack of league action on Saturday to bounce back and keep the heat on.

He said: “We are in third place and Fleetwood are not playing and so hopefully we can move back into the top two.

“If someone had told me at the start of the season that we would be in this position a couple of games in, I’d have been happy.

“The Garstang game is a bonus, I’m not sure how many people are available.

“We want to win the league and that is our focus.

“Morecambe were champions last year but they are not doing so well this year.

“But we will not underestimate them and hopefully we can get back to winning ways.”

Leyland were also knocked out of the Lancashire Cricket Board’s Knock Out Cup as they lost to Settle on Sunday.

Makinson says he is doubtful he will be fit for the weekend but says Henry Thompson should be back in action for Leyland.

He said:“I’m hoping to be back but I’m not too confident.

“I will hope to play but it will probably need a miraculous recovery.

“But Henry should be  available again.”