PREVIEW: Rapid all-round improvement is required from Peterborough Town

Kieran Judd is back for Peterborough Town.

Town’s disappointing draw at a completely out-of-form Horton House side means it’s three games without a win for Clarke’s men.

That’s the bad news. The good news is Town still sit second in the table, just seven points behind leaders Rushton in a four-horse race for top spot ahead of Saturday’s home fixture with a dangerous Brixworth side at Bretton Gate tomorrow (August 12, noon)

Old Northamptonians and Finedon are the other title contenders.

Peterborough Town teenager Mohammed Danyaal received an award at Lord's recently for scoring a hundred for a schools side against the MCC. MCC president Matthew Fleming made the presentation.

“We have not been at our best recently with the bat, the ball or in the field,” Clarke admitted.

“We need to improve in every department and we need to do it quickly.

“The good thing is we’ve had a dodgy spell, but stayed very much in the mix at the top. We are a good side that is very capable of winning the league, but we need to get back to our best.

“We need more from our better players and more from everyone in the field.

“We’ve become sloppy so we’re having a fielding practice drill on the eve of the Brixworth match to try and get our sharpness back.

“We have another tough game on Saturday. We lost at Brixworth earlier in the season when we rolled up over-confident as we’d won our first few games.

“We have to get rid of that complacency. Brixworth have some very good players.”

Town have received a boost as teenage batsman Kieran Judd is set to return after a six-week lay-off with a broken arm.

Judd is a dogged, old-fashioned batsman, just the type Town need to complement dashing stroke players Asim Butt, Lewis Bruce and Clarke himself.

Brixworth dangerman Callum Guest is well known to the better Town players. He’s made an impact with them at Cambridgeshire in Minor Counties cricket.