Ramsbottom captain Jon Fielding is hoping Saturday’s six-wicket defeat at Lancashire League high-flyers Church has boosted the confidence of his batsmen.

The Acre Bottom side are handily placed, in the top half of the table, but former Lancashire man Fielding admits that his men have so far struggled for consistency.

Dale Gabriel starred with the ball, taking 5-39 as the Ostwaldtwistle hosts were dismissed for 159. South African professional Pieter Malan then went to work with the bat, hitting 94, while Dave Bell chipped in with 55 as Fielding’s men reached their target for the loss of only four wickets.

One of the quirk’s of the Lancashire League programme is that teams go head-to-head home and away in consecutive weeks and such is the case for Rammy at the weekend as they prepare to entertain Church on Saturday.

“We’ve been very inconsistent so far,” he said. “We’ve had some realy good performances and some not so good.

“It was pleasing to put in a good show against a top side, and hopefully it may be a sign we have turned the corner.

“It’s been our batting that has let us down – it’s about confidence and that seemed to come back at the weekend.

“Our aim is now to start putting some runs together, and confidence is a big part of that.”

Fielding, aged 39, also hailed the contribution of 23-year-old pro Malan. “He’s a very, very good player,” said the skipper.

“He’s been great for us. His attitude is fantastic and it’s up to us to back him up.”

Meanwhile, Ramsbottom are hoping to continue their success in the Twenty20 format when they visit Haslingden for a game they must win if they are to remain on course to take the championship trophy they have lifted in the last two years.

“The T20 nights at Acre Bottom have been special,” said Fielding. “Sometimes we have had up to 1,000 watching the games, so we want to continue our success.”