Tripathi prepared for season-defining games

Burnley skipper Bharat Tripathi appeals to the umpire

The champions will partake in every competition over the coming weeks, starting tonight where they’ll look to finish top of the Pride of Pendle group in the Twenty20 as Enfield await at Dill Hall Lane.

Lancashire League leaders Ramsbottom are the visitors to Turf Moor tomorrow with just four points separating the two sides at the summit.

The history-makers, who claimed an unprecedented haul of silverware last term, will ten round off the weekend with a last 16 tie against holders Firwood Bootle CC in the LCB Knockout Cup.

With a Worsley Cup semi-final tie against Tiarnan Hamill’s men also on the agenda in the near future, Tripathi said: “The next two weeks of our schedule is absolutely huge. We’ve got our final group game in the Twenty20 which we’ll be looking to win to secure a favourable draw in the quarter-final.

“We’ve then got a top-of-the-table clash against Ramsbottom followed by Bootle in the county cup competition. From there we’ll play our knockout game in the Twenty20, we’ll have another league fixture, and then we play a Worsley Cup semi-final.

“They’re all huge games and they could go a long way to shaping our season. It keeps every game really interesting and it’s a great challenge.”

Burnley’s consistency over the last season-and-a-half has been remarkable and provides a glowing reference for the talent and quality that is housed within the club.

They have lost just six times in 39 league outings and have been able to adapt and translate that success across various formats of the game.

“The league is the real indication of how good a team is,” Tripathi said. “That’s the format where you need to find the most consistency.

“We do have that ability to adjust and adapt to different formats of cricket though. The league is the bread and butter and then you have to adapt to different competitions like the Twenty20 and field a different side because it’s a different brand of cricket.

“We relish the challenges we face across the board. More formats bring more challenges and I’m happy with the way that we’re dealing with them.”

Meanwhile, Lowerhouse travel to Church in the final group game of the Twenty20 tonight.

The West Enders then take on Haslingden at Bentgate in the league before hosting Ramsbottom in the LCB Knockout Cup.