SCOTT Pearcey is looking forward to the biggest weekend of his Furness captaincy reign so far.

Pearcey takes the North Lancs League title-chasing Rams into battle against local rivals Dalton tomorrow for a must-win match in their bid to chase down long-time leaders Workington.

And 24 hours later Pearcey will lead his side out at Furness Park again – this time for a mouthwatering County Cup quarter-final clash against Barrow.

It is a pivotal weekend for Furness. Victory over Dalton will stand them in good stead ahead of a potential Premier Division title-decider at Workington next week.

And the game against Barrow gives Furness the chance to gain bragging rights over their old rivals, as well as earn a place in the semi-finals.

The two sides have only locked horns a few times since the Ernest Pass left the North Lancs structure after the 2003 season – the most notable being Furness’s County Cup final triumph at Ernest Pass in 2010, under Stuart Horne.

Barrow, flying high in the Northern League, will prove very tough opponents and the prospect of a titanic tussle should see spectators flock to Furness Park.

“I’m enjoying the captaincy role and we have had a solid first half to the season,” said Pearcey, who took over the skipper’s role from Mike Gadsden this season.

“Now we’re looking to kick-on and put together a cup run and title challenge.

“The lads have worked hard all week for the biggest weekend of the season so far.

“We’re excited to get back out there after two washouts and looking forward to two big local derbies in front of big crowds.”

While Furness will start as favourites against Dalton, Pearcey is certainly not taking the Ulverston Roaders lightly.

“Saturday will be a tough game. Dalton have had some good wins this year and they ran us close last time out,” he warned.

“Hopefully our pro (Kiwi Seth Rance) can carry on his fine form with the ball (39 wickets in 11 league games so far) and all the batsmen look in good nick. We just need to convert good starts into high scores.”

Looking ahead to the Barrow match, Pearcey added: “Sunday is the game that we all grew up watching and wanting to be involved in, and it will be a great occasion.

“Two wins this weekend would give us great momentum for the rest of the season.”

Barrow will warm up for the derby with a Northern League Division One home game against Preston.

Toby Mowat’s men suffered a double blow last weekend when they lost ground in the league after being restricted to a losing draw at Fleetwood and then lost to table-toppers Blackpool in the Readers Cup.

One player in a rich vein of form for the Ernest Pass side is Indian pro Kaustubh Pawar, who top-scored with 97 and 87 in those games.

Back to the North Lancs League, and Haverigg also have a big derby ahead of them this weekend as they try and chase down Lindal Moor and Carlisle at the summit of the first division.

Having been knocked out of the Sowerby Cup at the semi-final stage by Workington, the Poolsiders can concentrate their efforts on winning promotion back to the top flight.

Victory over Ulverston last weekend – when most games were rained off – boosted their league position, and that could be further enhanced by beating local rivals Millom.

It’s a tough one to call, with the Millomites – who have a Sowerby Cup final to look forward to –having home advantage and proven match-winners among their ranks.

Another difficult match to predict takes place at Edenside where leaders Carlisle entertain second-placed Lindal Moor. The result could go some way to deciding the destination of the title come September.

Lindal Moor seconds go for glory in the Marsden Cup on Sunday when they take on Cockermouth A at Cleator.

l Furness CC players new and old will be trying to get the better of their club mates today in a charity competition.

Four teams of 12-strong mixed male and female past and present Rams players will contest two semi-finals, with the winners going through to the final in a 12-overs-per-innings format.

The first semi-final starts at 2pm, with the second one to follow at around 4pm and the final set to begin at 6.30pm.