Leyland in-form ahead of another top two clash

Leyland kept title rivals Blackpool at bay last Saturday as they picked up a winning draw to retain their grip at the top of the Northern Premier Cricket League Division One table.

The result saw Blackpool slip from second to fourth and Fleetwood climbed up to second and are now 12 points off leaders Leyland after their six wicket win over Lancaster.

Their Australian pro Travis Dean picked up a five-wicket haul in that win as Fleetwood leapfrogged their Fylde coast neighbours.

But Makinson says Leyland fear no team.

He said: “Fleetwood are second in the league now. It is another first versus second game and hopefully we can come out on top.

“It is no secret that they have a really good professional (Travis Dean).

“He has been selected for the Australian A squad and he is a good cricketer but they are also a good all round cricket side.

“But we are not scared of anyone in this league. We will have played half of the games of the season and going into the second half of the season top of the table is a good place to be but there is still a long way to go.”

But Makinson was disappointed Leyland did not pick up 15 points in the draw with Blackpool.

He said: “I’m disappointed we did not win the game. To get 171 at home we were confident we could defend it.

“Henry Thompson’s 63 is the highest score we have had on the pitch and only the second 50 we have had at Fox Lane this season. No opposition player has scored a 50 at our ground yet this season so we went into their innings with confidence.

“Henry is a useful player. He managed to get the two big wickets of Mitchell and Twist. They were two massive wickets but they just managed to hold on.”