There are a few contenders for match of the day in the Cumbria League’s Premier Division this week.
Perhaps the pick of the bunch is at Sandair where Cockermouth play host to Whitehaven, two sides who have started the season impressively.
Cockermouth were expected to struggle this season without four key players but they have started with three straight victories, admittedly against three of the weaker sides in the competition.
Their first serious test comes against a resurgent Whitehaven side, invigorated by last week’s derby win over Workington – and nobody seems to be able to remember when they last beat the Valentine Ground side in the league.
This will be the game more scrutinised than any other – can Cockermouth continue to show they are still well equipped to offer a title challenge, even without four ‘gooduns’ or will Whitehaven be able to continue their advancement with the aid of precocious youth, a sound professional and a couple of experienced heads?
One thing’s for certain, champions Carlisle are not going to give up their crown easily, especially as they are chasing a treble of Championship victories, and in their final year before moving to the Northern League.
They have responded well from their opening day defeat at the hands of Keswick, and have subsequently beaten Wigton and Cleator.
This week sees them travel to Egremont where they will start strong favourites to register a third successive victory.
Egremont have been short of some key players so far and badly need them back to support new overseas recruit Raghav Kupar who has looked a very good batsman.
Keswick, who look a stronger side this season, and have proved themselves with that win over Carlisle, are being fancied by several shrewd cricketing judges to have enough about them to go all the way.
Problems in the past seem to have centred on losing players to rugby union and football at particularly crucial parts of the season. That is not likely to be the case this time round which will undoubtedly strengthen their claims.
They face a trip south this weekend to play Millom, a side who have only played once so far because of pitch and weather conditions. That one fixture which produced any play ended in a three-runs defeat to south Cumbrian rivals Dalton.
New professional Nathan Waterston is reported to have fitted in well at the club following his move from Furness and the team is looking forward to taking on the big guns of Keswick.
Very much as Cockermouth were written off before a ball was bowled, so too were Furness because of their player losses during the winter. But while the Sandair side have so far defied the pessimists, Furness have struggled.
They have been beaten by both Whitehaven and Keswick, while their game with Dalton was abandoned.
This week they are at home to Cleator, a side who have been better than their bare results would indicate – a narrow defeat through Duckworth Lewis at Dalton and a determined effort in defeat at champions Carlisle, while their clash with Keswick was rained off.
Cleator are still waiting for their new professional to get visa clearance and are again looking for a sub pro for the trip to Furness.
Workington were bitterly disappointed to lose their unbroken record at local rivals Whitehaven last week and it’s a certainty that skipper Matthew Lowden will have his side fired up for the visit of Dalton.
The newly-promoted south Cumbrians have made a positive start to life in the top flight with two wins and a rain off. Both victories were extremely tight – by Duckworth Lewis against Cleator and by three runs against Millom.
The final game is at Lowmoor Road where Wigton entertain Haverigg, a fixture that both sides will have targeted as decidedly winnable in their quests to accumulate enough points to avoid any battle against relegation.
Both have collected 12 points so far from the first three fixtures to sit eighth and ninth in the early table.
