WOODLANDS captain Brad Schmulian conceded that his side must return to winning ways today at home to rivals Townville.

The three-time reigning Bradford Premier Division champions lost their first game of the season last weekend at the newcomers of the league, Jer Lane, with the hosts claiming a two-run victory.

With the competition at the table’s summit hotting up, Woodlands’ captain admitted there is little room for error if his side want to claim their fourth consecutive Bradford Premier League Premier Division title.

Schmulian said: “This league is extremely competitive; the top few teams are all playing really good cricket at the minute, and we’ve got to face another one of those teams in Townville this weekend.

“We are well aware, and we know that any defeat can prove costly in this division; at most you can slip up once or twice across the season. We lost against Jer Lane, so it’s key that we don’t make it two defeats on the bounce, and we come back strongly to show to the rest of the league that it was just an off day. The Premier Division is full of quality and a number of teams will be on hand to take that top spot away from us if we don’t bounce back quickly.”

After eight games of the current season Townville sit 15 points behind Woodlands in third place, and Schmulian believes that a victory for his side today would have added importance.

He said: “A win this weekend would be massive for us. We’ve developed a friendly rivalry with Townville over the past few seasons because we respect them and they respect us as a cricket side. We are nearing the halfway point of the season, so to get a victory against them would be key for us as it would set us up nicely for the rest of the season. Not only that, but it would also be a big confidence boost for the team after defeat last weekend and that game would be quickly erased from our memories.”

A win is a must for Woodlands admitted Schmulian, but he also conceded that a victory won’t come easy against a strong Townville side who have claimed victories in their previous five fixtures.

He said: “We are expecting another tough game against Townville this weekend; the fixtures are always tight and nervy because both sides are aware of the quality each team possesses.”

Schmulian added: “They’re a well-rounded cricket side, they value their wickets and they are gutsy with the bat. They don’t give you any chance to get into a groove, so any win against them must be hard-fought, and you definitely can’t have an off day like we did in some areas against Jer Lane.

“Another thing that shines through with Townville is that they are a tight-knit group, they’re close friends and they have great chemistry. It’s key in any sport and you know that when you face them, they’ll all fight for each other; they’ll be leaving no stone unturned. We’ve got to go into this one with the same mentality so that we can match them toe-to-toe. I win would be huge for us and we are determined to achieve that.”