BRADFORD & Bingley captain Ed Brown has urged his side not to take a fixture with the league’s bottom-side for granted.

With a top four spot in the Bradford Premier League Division still in sight, B&B can’t afford to be complacent at home to an underperforming Batley today.

Brown’s side have been in fine form in recent weeks, picking up three wins out of their last four fixtures, and most recently they dispatched Cleckheaton brilliantly to claim an eight-wicket victory.

Four points now separate Ossett in fourth and Bradford & Bingley in sixth, but momentum is with the side from Wagon Lane and they have a great chance to make more inroads into that deficit today.

Looking ahead to the fixture, Brown said: “It would be nice if we could get another big score this weekend but we know it’s going to be a dangerous fixture, even though the table might suggest otherwise.

“Their overseas star played in the World Cup a few years ago, so he’s a good player and as a team they’ve shown they can beat some big sides over the season. So, we are not taking this game for granted.

“Whatever we do first, we want to do it well. If we bowl first then we’ll be looking to get them out early and if we bat first, we’ll be looking to put a high total on the board. It’s vital that we win the game because we are chasing down the teams above us and we can’t slip up.”

Brown added: “We might not be able to win the league but we want to finish as high up in the table as we possibly can, and if that means third or fourth place then that’s what we’ll try and achieve.

“It’s going to a sound a little cliche, but Batley are a very unpredictable side and you don’t which Batley you are going to face; some days they turn up and some days they don’t. It makes it hard to prepare for a game against them because we know that on their day they can beat anyone in the division.

“For that reason, we need to be mentally ready to face any challenge that comes our way. A win would give us a great deal of momentum as we head into the final stretch of the season- and it would set us up perfectly I believe.”

Brown has seen his team perform well in recent weeks and it's meant the captain hasn't had to put on his pads on a couple of occasions, most recently at Eccleshill.

Discussing the matter, Brown said: "You do want to bat as a cricketer and as captain, but when you don't need to it shows your team are performing very well. At the same time, it's nice to see everyone excelling from afar and it allows me to be there as a leader.

"We all trust each other within the group and we believe in our abilities. I have full confidence in my team to go out and there and bat to a high and match winning standard.

"So, it has taken the reigns off my shoulders a bit but I enjoy it and we are reaping the rewards as a group, especially in recent weeks."