Folkestone CC on the verge of promotion to Kent League Premier Division and Sibton Park facing relegation
Published: 00:00, 27 August 2014
Folkestone can return to the Kent League Premier Division this weekend – and relegate fierce rivals Sibton Park in the process.
Victory over Park in Lyminge on Saturday would confirm the runners-up spot in Division 1 for Folkestone, who last played Premier Division cricket in 2006.
They start the day 25 points clear of third-placed Linden Park, who must beat Bromley Common to keep their faint promotion hopes alive.
By contrast, Sibton Park are 31 points adrift of safety and on the verge of being relegated for the second season running.
Folkestone captain Andy Bray knows the permutations surrounding the derby but insists his side won’t be distracted.
He said: "It’s disappointing (about Sibton Park). I want club cricket in the Folkestone area to be as strong as possible but we’ll go there and focus on us and what we’re going to do.
"Rarely do you get an opportunity to win promotion. It doesn’t happen often and it hasn’t happened with this club since we came out of the Premier Division.
"Since then, we haven’t been competing (for promotion) in the last two or three weeks of the season. We’ve either been fighting to stay up or our season’s been done by the last two or three games.
"Our aim, in pre-season, was to be competing in the last month of the season. We’ve achieved our first goal – our second goal is to finish the job."
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Steve Tervet