RIVALS READY FOR DERBY BATTLE
ANDY Coxon admits Cheadle had to blow away a few cobwebs last weekend - and he’s now relishing a derby date to get their season truly up and running.
Cheadle were beaten at Bagnall Norton in their NSSCL Premier A season opener on Saturday as they suffered a four-wicket loss after posting 164-9 from their 45 overs.
It wasn’t the start Cheadle would have wanted after finishing in third place last season.
However, skipper Coxon says it was still a productive day as his players were able to get some match action under their belts.
“It was a bit disappointing last week,” he said. “There was a bit of ring rust because it’s the first time we’ve played because of the weather.
“We got the first half together with the bat, but then were a bit rusty with the ball.
“But it will stand us in good stead and we’ll take the positives out of the performance.
“We finished the season well last year, but it’s difficult to roll with that without the preparation we wanted.”
Now Cheadle welcome nearneighbours Checkley to Tean Road tomorrow for their first home assignment of the summer.
Coxon says it’s the ideal fixture for his side to put a notch in the win column.
“It’s a fixture that you look out for when they are released,” added Coxon.
“Having them at home so early in the season is good. We will have a decent crowd and hopefully they can help the lads to perform and pick up a result.
“Checkley are strong in all departments and although we had good results against them last year, we are taking nothing for granted.
“You want to get off the mark and this is a good fixture for us to perform in to try to do that. Everyone wants that first win, but there’s no panic if we don’t.”
Cheadle were pretty quiet in the transfer market over the winter months.
Plenty of their rivals enhanced their squads, but Cheadle have stuck with what they know for the 2024 challenges.
“It was a competitive league last year. Apart from the top two it was pretty tightly bunched and if you had offered us third placed at the start of the season we’d have taken that,” explained Coxon.
“We have a talented squad and we want to prove that our finish last summer wasn’t a fluke.
“A lot of teams have strengthened, but we’ve backed out junior section. The likes of Alfie Bonehill and Sam Cliffe are the future of the club.
“We don’t have a league postion target. We won at Porthill last year and they were the defending champions, so we know what we are capable of. If we perform, the result will look after themselves.”
Checkley, meanwhile, make the short trip having banked the points in their first game.
They prevailed by seven wickets against newly-promoted Burslem at Four Trees last Saturday.
That marked an impressive start for captain James Kettleborough and his players as they look to build on last summer’s fourth-placed finish.
Their 2023 placing proved to be highly satisfactory for Kettleborough and Co after losing the services of overseas star Puneet Datey in the formative stages of the campaign.
“The lads played very well against Burslem. Looking at the league, there’s no easy games and Burslem have come up and are probably one of the clubs that could challenge for a top-four place,” said Kettleborough.
“It was strange starting the season in May, but it was good to come away with a comprehensive victory.
“After the start we had last year we want to be in the mix for the title, but losing Puneet to injury was a big blow.
“We had a bit of a slump in the middle, but then we pulled it back towards the end and finishing in the top four was recognition for our efforts.
“In my first two years at the club, under Michael Allen (previous captain), we finished in the top four and that was where I wanted us to be last summer.
“We did, though, look back at what we could have achieved if we’d had the overseas all season, but it was not meant to be.”
Checkley have bolstered their squad since last season with Staffordshire all-rounder Nils Priestley joining, along with seamer Ben Holt and wicketkeeper James Abbotts.
Diwesh Panthania has been recruited as the overseas player for the summer.
Kettleborough is now out to build on last weekend’s success.
“The signings are exciting and we want to get them settled and to feel part of the club,” said the Checkley skipper.
“Momentum is really powerful.
We want to create that winning habit. Hem Heath (Premier champions) did that last year and when they were in difficult situations they knew how to win and found a way. We want to be the ones to get on a roll this year.
“No-one will go throughout the season unbeaten, so when you have a defeat it’s about how you bounce back from that.
“It’s always a tough game at Cheadle. They got the better of us last season and the lads are keen to make amends for that.
“We’ve got a few new players, so there’s no baggage or scars from that either.”