Morecambe captain plays down title chances

Josh Dixon’s side sit top of the pile after a thumping win over bottom of the table Preston at the weekend.

The opening batsman knows his charges face an acid test this Saturday however when they travel to reigning champions and third-placed Blackpool.

Dixon said: “I think there’ll be a reassessment of our chances after Saturday.

“Blackpool is a massive game.

“They’re third and are defending champions.

“I’ve just been trying to keep things calm and think top four is still a realistic target.

“We’re played superbly so far though and are in that pole position.

“We’re there for a reason and have just got to keep doing what we’ve been doing.”

After a fine win against Preston on Saturday, with the visitors bowled out for just 43, a depleted Morecambe bowed out of the Readers Cup at Barrow on Sunday.

Dixon said: “It was a difficult one.

“We struggle to get sides together on Sundays and took a weakened side with it being Father’s Day.

“The lads who went played to the best of their ability but Barrow were simply the better team on the day.

“It means the league is our sole focus now which it has been really since we went out of the Twenty20.”

As for the win over Preston, Dixon was pleased to get the game in with bad weather a threat all day.

He said: “With Blackpool not playing we needed to play so it was pleasing to get the game on.

“You can only beat what’s in front of you and we did that.

“Suraj (Randiv, who took 7-15) proved why he’s a international cricketer too.”

Despite a full Northern Premier League programme, Morecambe are without a game this Sunday with Blackpool their solitary game of the weekend.

Form man Eddy Read is expected to be fit to bowl against Blackpool having been out of the attack against both Preston and Barrow.

Mark Woodhead and Yakub Bhamji both remain a couple of weeks away from returns.