Chris Cunningham is confident his Southport & Birkdale squad have what it takes to pull themselves away from relegation danger.
S&B sit third from bottom in the ECB Premier Division of the Love Lane Liverpool Competition.
They’re only four points behind defending champions Firwood Bootle, a position for which Cunningham would probably have bitten your hand off in normal circumstances - but this season is not normal.
Over the past four weeks, five Premier Division sides have lost at least one game to Covid postponements. Three - Leigh, Orrell Red Triangle and Bootle - have lost two; Orrell occupy the second relegation slot, six points behind S&B but with two games in hand, the first of which will be made up when they face New Brighton on Sunday.
It’s only July and there’s a long way to go - but for someone who was part of S&B’s last-gasp survival in 2019, Cunningham knows very well that every game is crucial.
“We’re just trying to keep it simple and clear - just win cricket matches,” he said.
“We’re not trying to get into the detail of how many points we need per game, or potentially trying to forecast how many points we accumulate against certain teams - it’s more a case of we just turn up on a Saturday and try to win a game of cricket.
“I believe every game we play, we can win - and I know most captains will say that, but I look at what we’ve got and what we’re capable of. When it clicks, for two or three hours we’re dominating games against some of the best teams in the league - it’s about being able to transpose that into seven hours, because that’s what Comp cricket is all about.
“So I’m fairly comfortable and confident that we will pick up the results that we need to.”
Cunningham’s side this year has been characterised by a few experienced heads and a lot of young talent. And in recent weeks, there have been signs the formula is starting to work.
A cathartic eight-wicket win over New Brighton on July 3 was followed by a rain-affected draw against Wallasey and then a dramatic 10-run triumph at Orrell Red Triangle, which saw the hosts reach 114/4 chasing 150 before Cunningham and his fellow bowlers induced a collapse.
Unbeaten in three isn’t much - but it’s a start.
Cunningham added: “We’ve played a fair bit of good cricket all season, but we have crazy spells at crucial points.
“We just seem to lack the application in those instances, but we get ourselves into very good positions most weeks.
“The last few weeks, we’ve just tried to be clearer in thought and just played the cricket in front of us.
“The New Brighton game was a penny moment for the lads in the dressing room where they thought ‘you know what, we’re proper cricketers on our day’.
“We’re not a team of Galacticos - we haven’t got one or two lads we can rely on each week, we’ve all got to contribute.”
A batting order which regularly includes three 16-year-olds - wicketkeeper Jack Carney, Jack Stanley and Basil Sultan - is more or less bound to be cursed by inconsistency.
Slightly older heads such as openers Isaac Lea (20) and Lancashire prospect JJ Fielding (18) have started to come good in recent weeks - Lea finished unbeaten on 67 in the win over New Brighton, while Fielding made 79 against Wallasey.
Sri Lankan import Dinuka Dilshan is starting to find his feet as well - Cunningham believes his players are coming to terms with a steep learning curve.
“We’re trying to create an environment where people can go out and play their way,” he said.
“Each batsman is different - my job is to try to bring everyone together and hope that everybody’s different skills individually can collectively achieve that greater aim.”
Tomorrow sees the visit of leaders Northern to Trafalgar Road, on the back of a slightly iffy run of form which has seen them lose two and draw one of their last four.
Last Saturday saw Wallasey openers Jamie Crawley and Danny Beaver put the Crosby side’s vaunted bowling attack to the sword to set up a six-wicket win.
Cunningham said: “We’re not naive - these guys are top of the league and they gave us a bit of a pasting at their place, so we’ve got a few wounds to lick.
“But what they showed in the last few weeks is that they’re human - these lads are talented cricketers, but they’re entitled to have an off-day.
“Last week was the first time in a couple of years that Northern have been rolled - I guess it gives everyone hope to see these guys are good cricketers, but they can be turned over.
“We’re in a positive mindset, we’re playing at home, and hopefully we can go out there and put a performance in.
“Ultimately, if they’re better than us on the day, as a captain I’ll never be unhappy about that. It’s when you get outfought, outsmarted, when teams play with bigger hearts - that’s what really gets to me.”
