Furness Cricket Club are about to become very familiar with Carlisle, with the two in-form teams facing each other in two competitions this weekend.

It starts with what is the first crunch clash of the season in the Premier Division of the Cumbria Cricket League tomorrow when Furness will put their 100 per cent record on the line at Edenside.

They then stick around overnight before going head-to-head with the same opponents in the County Cup, with whoever gets through that surely having a good chance of going all the way.

On more than occasion this season, Furness have blown away the opposition, including their nine-wicket victory over Millom, who themselves had been performing well, in the Higson Cup last Sunday.

Ahead of the double-header, their captain Peter Lawson believes his side’s attack could play a key role, saying: “We’ll stick to our same plan of being really disciplined with the ball.

“Josh Shaw has been bowling really well this season and he’s come on a lot since his trip to Australia during the winter and he’s bowled really consistently.

“Sachith [Pathirana] has settled in a lot more, our pro, so he’s getting used to the conditions and the team and the surroundings a lot better now.

“We’ve also got Jordan Buchanan playing most Saturdays – he didn’t play at all last year and he’s bowling really well as well, so that’s a big boost for us.”

Furness are looking to prove this season that they are not just a cup team and they lead the Premier Division by six points with an unbeaten record after seven games.

“Our discipline has been really good with the ball this year,” Lawson said. “I think that’s somewhere where we always did well in the cups, where our bowling was always a bit better than the other teams.

“This year, we’ve been really consistent all-round and it’s just about our determination, I think, that’s been really impressive.

“Everyone seems to be on the same page and everything, so it’s looking at the positive at the moment, but there’s a long way to go yet.”

Elsewhere in the Premier Division, Lindal Moor will look to maintain their good recent form when they travel to Cleator, as they begin the weekend fourth in the table.

Millom dropped down the standings after losing to Furness by five wickets last Saturday, the day before their cup hiding against the same opposition.

They have another tough game tomorrow, as they’ll be welcoming third-placed Workington, while Dalton go into their home match against Cockermouth level on points with their opponents.