Catch us if you can is the Pelsall message

The table-toppers go into the clash with a 38-point advantage over their second-placed hosts and knowing victory would leave Beacon with a mountain to climb.

Pelsall will go into the game full of confidence on the back of a seven-game winning streak and keen to gain revenge following their defeat to Beacon earlier in the season – there only setback this summer.

And for skipper Pennell it will be a case of business as usual.

“We won’t be approaching the game any differently,” he said. “We are on a good run while a couple of the other sides around us have slipped up recently.

“We are 38 points clear and it’s up to the other sides to chase us.

“Obviously if we win on Saturday that would put us nearly 60 points clear of Beacon and that would leave them with a lot to do.”

Pelsall are plundering runs for fun at the moment having rattled up 340-6 on their way to a 31-run success against Whittington last Saturday with opener Tom Boyd hitting a superb 153 while Todd Henderson passed 50 for the eighth time this season to cement his position as the division’s top run scorer.

“During the years I have been skipper we have generally been more potent with the ball but the batters are leading the way this season,” said Pennell.

“We have passed 400 twice and got over 300 in a few other games while all the top four have scored centuries.”

Whittington made a good fist of chasing Pelsall’s score with skipper Daniel Wilks blasting 160 at the top of the order but once he fell Pelsall were in the box seat despite an unbeaten 41 from Dan Hackett with the visitors ending on 309-9.

Beacon will go into Saturday’s showdown with skipper Dan Green keen to see his side play pressure free cricket with the main emphasis on recapturing their early season form.

“People may look at the table and say it’s a must win game for us, but we are not thinking like that,” said Green.

“We have lost a couple of games recently and all we are trying to do is to get back to how we were playing in the early part of the season. We just want to go out there, enjoy our cricket, give 100 per cent and see where that takes us.

“There is no pressure on us. I think Pelsall are favourites for the title now.”

A five-wicket haul from Leigh Passmore – his first for the club – helped fire Beacon to a 50-run success at Aldridge where the hosts were dismissed for 137 in reply to Beacon’s 187.

While Beacon and Pelsall slug it out at the top of the table, Rugeley are making good progress on their return to the top flight.

An impressive six-wicket win over Springvale pushed them towards mid-table and left skipper Scott Gretton delighted with how the season is shaping up.

“It was a fantastic all-round team performance,” said Gretton, whose side chased down Springvale’s 230 with relative ease.

“We bowled well and that was backed up in the field and then we batted very well.

“It was one of those games where we did everything properly. There have been times this season where all aspects of our game haven’t come together, but we did that on Saturday.

“We had felt a little hard done by with how things were going because we have lost one game on the last ball and another in the last over.

“But the last couple of weeks we have played well. We have more than enough quality to compete with most of the teams in this league.

“I am pleased with how things are going and I think we have more strength in depth than the last time we were in the top division.

“If we have one or two players missing we have others who can step in and it doesn’t make any difference to the strength of the side.”

Medium-pacer Nathan Trimbrell led the way with the ball for Rugeley with figures of 4-24 from nine overs while Paul McHale claimed three victims. Experienced campaigner Paul Baker top scored with 74 for Springvale.

Opener Andrew Le Feaver then struck 84 and McHale 41 as Rugeley eased home in the 46th over.