MIDDLEWICH captain Phil Parry has reminded his players that their fate is in their hands after they boosted survival hopes with a victory last weekend.

A six-wicket win at Poynton in the Cheshire League last weekend leaves them 18 points clear of the Division Two relegation zone with six matches left.

And the skipper hopes that success can be a catalyst.

“It was a great result and we were on it from the first ball,” he told the Guardian.

“Rich Clorley took a fantastic one-handed catch in the slips and it gave us momentum.

“It’s a huge boost for everybody and we’re determined now to go on a run that secures our place in the division.”

Middlewich still have head-to-head matches against two other sides currently in the bottom four.

A date with Maritime at Haddon Field this Saturday will be a test, but Parry has seen encouraging signs over the past fortnight that his side has put behind them a run of five successive defeats.

He said: “We’d been giving away too many cheap runs due to poor discipline and it was great to see the guys make Poynton work for every single run.

“Confidence has been a bit low given our results and, while we are keeping an eye on what’s happening elsewhere, we can ultimately decide what happens to us.”

“Positive results in those games against Irby and Wilmslow would help our cause.”

He saved praise too for Middlewich’s second team after they recorded a first league win of the campaign last weekend.

Gavin Twigg claimed five wickets without conceding a run as they brushed aside their Haslington counterparts.

Parry added: “It’s been really tough for them but they’ve kept going, and a result like that is a reward for their commitment.”