JAMES Plant believes players at Northwich are growing in confidence and they can aim to finish in the table’s top-half.

If they follow a victory at Hale Barns last weekend with another when Christleton visit Moss Farm on Saturday they will sit sixth in the Cheshire County League’s third division at the season’s halfway point.

“It’s a big game for us,” said the captain.

“I think it’s one we should be looking to win, and it would give everybody a little boost to climb the table a bit further if we do.

“There’s a sense that we’re gathering momentum and we’ve played decent cricket recently.”

Northwich have four wins to their name this term, and five defeats.

Plant has regularly selected young players that have graduated from the club’s junior section, and so some inconsistency isn’t a surprise to him.

However all of them have shown glimpses of their potential.

“You can see they’re learning,” he added.

“They’re attaching more value to their wicket, or bowling more consistently in the right areas, and that helps things come together as a team.

“It was a tough game at Hale Barns, a feisty one, and when you come out on top it adds to the belief you have as a group.”

Northwich have never finished higher than sixth since they were promoted from the Cheshire League in 2013.

However they have improved steadily.

It feels a more open division this season too; Northwich knocked leaders Lindow out of the Cheshire Shield, and ought to have repeated the trick when they met in the league.

They ran fourth-placed Warrington close as well.

Plant said: “It’s competitive, and I’m not sure anybody will run away with the title.

“Alvanley are the best opponent we’ve played, certainly the most rounded, but we’ve proven we can push the best sides.

“If we carry on as we have in the past few weeks then I’m optimistic we can close a gap to those ahead of us.”

Mark Walker will lead the side in his absence on Saturday, when in-form Lee Evans is unavailable too.

However James Gittings returns to bolster an attack in which spinners Andrew Dufty and Tharusha Fernando – Northwich’s overseas signing from Sri Lanka – have played a prominent role.

Plant said: “It’s great for me to have those weapons to call on, and they’ve done a lot of damage when they’ve been on at the same time.”