Padiham are heading into a key fortnight amidst their summer – one which has been such an enjoyable one so far, according to captain and spin-bowling star Toby Burrows. 

The Arbories side have a spring in their step after an encouraging start in both the Anthony Axford North West Cricket League Premiership division and the Hamer Cup. 

They have won four of six games so far in the league – and sit fourth – and have advanced to the quarter-finals of the Hamer Cup, the competition they won last summer. 

Added to that, they have loved pitting themselves against a pair of  Liverpool Competition big-hitters in the Lancashire Knockout competition, Southport and Birkdale and Ormskirk. They beat the former and lost to the latter. 

In the next fortnight, Burrows and co travel to Astley Bridge and host champions Little Lever in Saturday league games and travel to Read in the Hamer Cup a week on Sunday. 

It’s a period which will reveal a lot about their credentials. 

Burrows has been talking after the most recent weekend of matches, which started with them beating pre-game Premiership leaders Salesbury on Saturday and ended with them losing at Ormskirk, who are widely regarded as one of the best club sides in England and not just the North West.

“We know we’re capable of winning games like Salesbury,” said left-armer Burrows.

“We know that on our day, we can beat anyone in this league. But we’re still a young side. We always know we’ll be alright, it’s just whether we can step up consistently.

“Saturday certainly breeds confidence right through the side, especially with them having had such a good start.”

A weather-shortened 29-over game saw Salesbury limited to 110-9 before Padiham chased their target for the loss of five wickets. Sri Lankan substitute professional Anuk Fernando (Rawtenstall) took four wickets and hit 55 not out.

That brings us to a disappointment so far this summer. Regular pro Jack Edgar has “pretty much blown his shoulder to bits”, with Burrows expecting a couple of months lay-off.

For the next month, they will mix and match between sub pros, Marques Ackerman (Chorley) and Shivam Chaudhary (Blackpool), before assessing their options again.

Looking ahead to the next fortnight, starting against an Astley Bridge side who are second-bottom with one win from six, Burrows continued: “That won’t be easy.

“Whenever you go away to a Bolton League side – grounds we haven’t played at much, players you don’t know as much about – they are hard games. The week after, Little Lever, they’re the games you want to be playing in.

“The chat after the game on Saturday was kind of, ‘If we go on a run of three or four wins, including beating Little Lever, we’re all of a sudden looking like we could go and push for the title’.”

Burrows is already closing in on the 40-wicket mark this season in all cricket and is one of the leading wicket-takers in the NWCL. His haul includes four wickets in two Lancs Knockout games against Southport and Ormskirk.

Last month, he claimed 3-17 from nine overs in a home win over Southport, who were bowled out for 162 chasing 179 in a 45-over contest.

On Sunday, he struck once as Padiham fought hard to defend a target of just 94 at Ormskirk, who had to recover from 4-3 in their chase.

He added: “To have the Southport game up at Padiham with a big crowd on – the way we took it on as a club was great. We got on top of them early and never took our foot off it.

“We knew coming from playing on brilliant wickets every week, if we could get a score of 150 or just above, they wouldn’t enjoy batting at our place. From the first ball, we bowled superbly and fielded well. The crowd got up, and it was one of those days for us. 

“I’ve not seen a group of lads as pumped in the field as we were that day. 

“Then, you get the reward of going to Ormskirk. We went from playing one good Liverpool Competition team to playing the best. 

“When we got there, it’s a different set-up altogether to what we’re used it.

“It was a massive step up and really good to see where we’re at. A couple of lads applied themselves well with the bat even though we were 90-odd all out (Callum Clarke 18, Joe Edgar 20). 

“We were quite lucky that this weekend, we went with the same team as Saturday bar a sub pro. We weren’t allowed one. 

“I think off the back of the Southport game being such an enjoyable day, everyone was really up for testing themselves again.

“We only got 93, and you’re not winning many with that on the board – no matter who you play. But we did have them 4-3 chasing and dropped a catch on 13. That lad went on and got 50. Had we caught that, you never know.

“You see these teams, they’re not expecting to lose to us. We saw that with Southport and Ormskirk. But there’s a bit of panic when it doesn’t go all their way.