PREVIEW: The real Town team need to show up for a House party

Two lacklustre displays in a row have cost the city side top spot in the hotly-contested Northants Premier Division title race.

Rain saved Town from a possible defeat at neighboiurs Oundle two Saturdays ago and only late batting defiance stopped reigning champions Old Northamptonians from claiming a crucial win at Bretton Gate last weekend.

That drawn game enabled Rushton to sneak past Town into top spot, but just 13 points cover the top four. ONs and Finedon are third and fourth.

“We’ve had a couple of disappointing weeks,” Clarke admitted. “But that’s the way this league has been this year.

“There hasn’t been a dominant team, but the good thing from our point of view is we are still right in the thick of things.

“And we have a great chance of getting back to winning ways at Horton House.

“They’ve been in terrible form recently. Everyone has been beating them.

“They usually provide a good batting wicket as well so hopefully we can get some of our big hitters back in form.”

With Lewis Bruce in poor form with the bat, much of the run scoring onus has fallen on Clarke and Asim Butt so it’s likely Town will try and add an extra batsman to their line-up for the trip to Horton with leg-spinner Danield Oldham’s place under threat.

Town will certainly expect to win tomorrow. Horton won their first three matches of the season to set the early pace at the top, but they haven’t won since, a run that started with a heavy defeat at Bretton Gate.

Town will take part in a re-arranged Northants T20 Finals Day at Rushton on Sunday, August 20 against the host club, Old Northamptonians and Finedon.

Finals Day was controversially abandoned at the Northampton County Ground last month after a brief shower.