Longridge CC captain looks forward to a big weekend

The Newsham squad faces a top-of-the-table Northern Premier Cricket League match at leaders Garstang on Saturday.

Twenty-four hours, they welcome Roe Green for their Lancashire Cricket Foundation KO quarter-final.

Platt’s players head to Garstang, looking to bounce back from consecutive defeats against Kendal and Chorley.

Those losses have left Longridge 22 points behind Garstang approaching the midway point of the season.

“The Chorley defeat last weekend was disappointing because we were probably 30 or 40 runs short with the bat,” Platt admitted.

“That said, they might have knocked off that total anyway but it wasn’t for the want of trying on the part of our bowlers.

“Now, we’ve got to go to Garstang on Saturday and try to use these defeats as motivation to turn our form around.

“We know what Garstang are about, they are top of the table and deservedly so.

“Their professional, Punit Bisht, is in a rich vein of form – which always seems to be the case – and he’s doing the job that’s required of him to win games of cricket.

“They’ve got a good bowling attack as well but we won there last year so we’ve got positive memories.”

A top-of-the-table game is big enough at the best of times but Longridge go into Sunday’s LCF knockout tie knowing they are two wins from a cup final at Emirates Old Trafford.

Platt believes Longridge’s progress can only help attract attention as they prepare to meet a Roe Green side which competes in the Greater Manchester Cricket League.

He said: “It’s a massive weekend, not just for the first team, but for the club as a whole – and it’s putting Longridge and the Northern League on the map.

“I don’t know much about Roe Green to be honest but, sometimes, it’s better you don’t know too much about the opposition.”