It’s do or die for Cockermouth when they visit Carlisle on Saturday in the latest round of Cumbria League Premier Division matches.
A surprise home defeat to Wigton last week would seem to have cost them their chance of taking this year’s title.
They are now 18 points behind leaders Furness and have already been beaten three times in the League.
Matthew Sempill will take his side to Edenside 16 points adrift of their hosts, knowing that only a win will keep alive their slim hopes of snatching the Championship.
On the other hand there is still half the season remaining and the weather might still have a say in how things play-out.
Carlisle and Furness are certainly the form sides, and both racked up big scores last week on their way to comfortable victories.
Professional Michael Slack hit a cultured century against Lindal Moor while the Furness pro Yash Dubey also made three figures in a comprehensive win against Cleator.
Furness entertain local rivals Millom and an intriguing sideshow will be the shootout between the two professionals.
Dubey has been in great consistent for form for Furness while Millom’s recent arrival Madhav Kaushik scored a sparkling 163 off only 136 balls against Whitehaven last week. Should be well worth watching.
Workington are still hanging in there despite recent defeats against Carlisle and Keswick.
At the halfway stage they would have settled to being nine points behind the leaders, and will be hot favourites to follow-up last week’s win against Egremont.
They host Cleator, who they have already beaten in the League and Higson Cup, and are a side apparently in freefall.
Alarm bells have surely been ringing at Cleator as they now find themselves next to bottom, just five points better off than Haverigg.
Whitehaven and Egremont will both have gone into the season planning to consolidate and avoid recent scrambles to avoid relegation.
There’s work still to be done, of course, but currently lying seventh and eighth in a 12-team League, has been a satisfactory effort over the first half of the season.
Both are at home and have games that they will clearly have targeted as ones to win.
Egremont entertain bottom side Haverigg while Whitehaven host Wigton.
Whitehaven should have pro Terance Warde back after he flew home to see his son’s graduation last week.
Wigton go into the game buoyant after last week’s fine win at Cockermouth and after a winless start to the season have put together some improved efforts on the field, especially the one at Sandair.
Lindal Moor, who are another team intent on consolidating this year after promotion from Division One, entertain Keswick in the week’s other fixture.
