Francis focused on more points

Gidea Park & Romford go to Essex League Division Two strugglers Stanford full of confidence tomorrow (Saturday).

Half-centuries from captain Jamal Francis and Alan Croft set up a tense one-wicket win at high-flying Belhus last weekend and Park are looking to complete a quickfire double as they head back into Thurrock this weekend.

Francis said: “Stanford is a different setting altogether, but we had a really strong performance against them earlier in the season and won by 10 wickets.

“We’re confident, if we do the same thing and keep it simple, we can get another win.”

With seven matches remaining this season, Park appear to have little to play for other than a mid-table position.

The top three are clear of the chasing pack and the bottom three cut off in their relegation battle.

But Francis says his side will keep going until the end of the campaign, adding: “Promotion is a big ask. All we can do is get as many wins and points on the board as possible.

“We can mix it with the best in the division on our day so we’ve got to keep playing to our strengths and get as many points on the board as we can.”

Park proved their credentials against Belhus, with Sam Hewitt nabbing the key scalps of big-hitting brothers Danny and Joe Joyce, before Connor Donnelly and James Pegram made vital contributions with the bat in a successful run chase.

Club stalwart Russ Collard continues to play a vital role as well and Francis said: “We’ve got a really young team this year, people underestimate that.

“It’s good to have some experience in the team, but we’ve got confident young players and it’s good to get them involved.

“The more games they play like last weekend the better.”