Newmarket Cricket Club’s Midweek XI seeking to wrap up a promotion and cup double
While the Saturday senior team is enduring a tough campaign, Newmarket’s Midweek XI is hoping to lift the spirits of the club.
In what could be a memorable 24 hours for the squad, tonight a victory over Abingdon will have secured second spot and subsequently promotion to Division One of the Haverhill & District Midweek Cricket League.
It would be a particularly special triumph for the team after the disappointment of 12 months ago when they missed the chance to go up on the final day of the season.
And Newmarket could follow that up tomorrow evening when they battle it out with Sawston & Babraham in the final of the A.H. Cup at Haverhill Cricket Club (6pm).
“We’ve had a really successful season so far and hopefully we can cap it off,” said captain James Atkinson.
“The Saturday team has been struggling this season so we’ve been helping to keep the morale at the club up.
“Promotion was definitely a target this season.
“We just missed the cut last year and in truth we crumbled when it mattered.
“We’re confident we’ll do well in Division One if we are able to get there because we’ve already beaten some of teams at that level in our cup run this season.
“It’s been a good season and if we can end it with promotion and a cup, that would turn it into a great season.”
In tomorrow’s opponents Sawston & Babraham, Newmarket will be up against a side that has already been crowned Division One champions.
The Rams also have the option to field players that turn out for the first team in the Thurlow Nunn East Anglian Premier League.
Atkinson, who was part of the Newmarket side that clinched Hempstead Cup glory in 2022, added: “They can play whoever they want and they’ve got some great resources.
“Looking at some of their previous line-ups it appears they’ve been playing one or two EAPL players each match, but the rest of the squad still play at Division Two or Division Three (of the Cambridgeshire League), which is a good standard to be at.”
