Harmison issues rallying call as Ashington Cricket Club bid to stave off relegation
After watching Ashington lift the Banks Salver Hundred on Bank Holiday Monday, Ben Harmison is hoping that the success will give the players a much needed lift ahead of three crucial league matches as they desperately try to stave off the threat of relegation.
The Mighty Acorns sit precariously only one point above Shotley Bridge who are second from bottom of the North East Premier League’s Premier Division table.
Harmison said: “We’re hoping that the win on Monday will give us all a boost ahead of our last three league games. For the run in, it’s become a three game league for us.
"We have got three big matches but we’ve got good characters in the dressing room so hopefully they will take responsibility, step up to the plate and get us over the line.
"We know how good we are on our day but we’ve got to take that confidence forward. Hopefully we can get a couple of wins and put the season to bed and come back firing again next season.”
He continued: “We have got to put a run together. We haven’t played badly in the last few games. We’ve lost on the last ball twice then like Saturday against Castle Eden, we are messing little periods of the game up where we are losing with the bat, the ball or in the field for 45 minutes spells where we should be burying teams and putting them to bed.
"We are taking our foot off the gas and letting teams back into the contest and it gets to a position where they gain the momentum and beat us. Seventy five per cent of our play is good but the other 25% loses us the game. We’ve got to get better but hopefully winning the hundred competition will give us all the boost we need to get a couple of wins from our last three fixtures.”
On Saturday, (August 30), Ashington travel to face Chester-le-Street.