Bottom side Kirkby have home advantage (2pm start) but with Adam Smith’s side high on confidence at the moment it promises to be a rip roaring contest.

Masham will then continue their quest to lift the Atkinson Swires Cup with they travel to Helperby on Sunday (2pm start).

Visiting skipper Smith is up for the game as they look to get over Saturday’s rained-off clash against Bolton Abbey.

“It’s an important weekend for us,” he said.

“We know Kirkby will be a difficult game. They’re down fighting with us at the bottom of the table so it’s important we come back with a win especially after last week.”

In the Kirkby camp meanwhile secretary Charles Harford-Cross is looking forward with relish to the fixture and is desperate for a victory to improve their current league position.

“They’re all big games for us, starting now until the end of the season,” he said.

“The last few weeks we’ve started to play a bit better and our performances have been moving upwards.

“If a few things had gone in our favour we feel we could have won those games.”

Unfortunately Kirkby will be missing in form batsman Matt Pickles who has been firing with the willow over the last few games.

But with a more settled side taking the field each week Harford-Cross is hopeful their form can turn round.

“Matt since he’s come in has done very well. Unfortunately for us though he’ll be missing this week,” he continued.

“We lost three bowlers and one batsman at the start of the season and that has obviously affected us this year.

“But we’ve been in this situation before. We won three of our last five games to stay up last year and we know what it takes to stay up.

“When we first came up we were a bit green but now most of the players have had three or four seasons in the division so they know what it’s all about.”

Both sides’ games were called off due to the rain on Saturday.

NEWBY Hall travel to bogey side Dacre Banks tomorrow with captain Matt Uffindall desperate to extend their lead at the top of Division One.

Hall were also thwarted by the weather on Saturday with their mouthwatering fixture against Alne cancelled.

However with every other team in the division off it remains the same with Hall still eight points clear of the chasing pack.

“It’s as you were in division,” said Uffindall.

“With everyone else off it means the table stays exactly the same. It was good that no-one played so it’s all business as usual.”

The Newby skipper is now setting his sights on Dacre. Despite their lowly position in the table Uffindall is not taking anything for granted.

“Dacre we know are down there but we won’t be taking them lightly,” he said.

“They’ve been a bit of a bogey side for us over the years and it’s important we go there and get a win.

“They’re geographically a bit further afield than some of the other teams so we don’t tend to socialise with them which means we don’t know a lot about their side.