CAWTHORNE are targeting a top half finish at least after they skittled Barnsley Woolley Miners for 74 in an eight-wicket derby win.
Pakistan international Danish Aziz took five for 14 from 14 overs as the Shaw Laners made 74 in 42 overs. Cawthorne captain Mike Jepps said: “It was a very pleasing win and an important 12 points. We bowled and fielded very well. We never let them have any momentum.
“We had our foot on their throats and didn’t let them up. It’s not easy to keep it going when you take some early wickets but we did it really well.
“It was a tricky pitch to bat on against some good bowlers but we had a gameplan. We took it ten runs at a time and it was nice to have won the game by 4pm.
“A few of the locals who were watching probably didn’t expect it.
“It was a pretty resounding and satisfying win against Barnsley who did well last season.”
Newly-promoted Cawthorne are fourth in the league after winning three of six games so far.
“If we play anything like we can, we’re confident we can beat anyone. But we’ve got to be consistent.
“We definitely feel we can finish in the top half. We’ve got to make sure we beat teams below us and compete against teams above us. The games in the next month will be very tough against sides in the top half. That will be a test.
“We need to show more resilience to come back from situations when we’re not on top.
“We’re a couple of years behind as a team compared to some of those clubs.”
Left-arm spinner Aziz has so far taken 28 wickets in all competitions at an average of 7.7 runs per wicket.
Jepps said: “It’s a massive plus having him in the middle overs because he has so much quality. As a captain he gives you so much control.
“We’ve done well as bowling unit to bowl in pairs and partnerships.
“In our six league games, we’ve taken 59 wickets.”
