Armitage Bridge captain Jaycob Curtling admits it would be a some achievement if the club won the Sykes Cup.
In relegation danger near the bottom of the Huddersfield Cricket League Premiership, Armitage Bridge have been the surprise package of the Sykes Cup this year, reaching the semi-finals for the first time since 1978.
Bridge saw off Honley in fine style in the quarter-finals and face holders Moorlands on July 3 for the right to contest the final of a competition they’ve never won before.
On reaching the semi-finals, Curtling said: “It’s a fantastic achievement so far but we’d like to go that step further. The lads who’ve been at the club a long time would love to get to the final and win the thing. That’d be huge for us. It’s a big achievement already and the older fans will remember that game in 1978 I’m sure.”
Results have gone against Armitage Bridge in the league this season and with three clubs going down the pressure is on but Curtling believes there’s still time to turn it around.
He said: “I’ve been at the club since 2015 and we either tended to lose games big or win them. We never usually lost games by a close scoreline but that is what has happened so far this season.
“It’s not like we’ve been playing badly. We have a certain style of cricket here and it’s just not quite come together so far. We just need to turn those close defeats into wins and we’ll be OK.
He added: “With three teams being relegated this time around there is a certain amount of pressure on. Every team has recruited well and, unlike in previous years where the newly-promoted teams have struggled, this year they have both settled into the division nicely.
“That’s not only made the division stronger and harder but also more competitive. We as a club want to be trying to break into that top six and I do genuinely believe we can do that but first of all we need to win a few games to move away from the drop.”
Curtling joined Armitage Bridge in 2015 after playing in Wakefield for a few seasons. He moved to England when he was just 18, playing six-month stints before returning home.
READ MORE: How the Sykes Cup was won in 2021
He made the jump to live in God’s Own County in 2018. When he first arrived as a teenager he settled here quickly but was surprised at the amount of cricket played in Yorkshire.
He said: “My dad is English, originally from Essex. I knew a lot about Yorkshire through cricket. However when I first came here I was shocked to learn that all the local teams have a fan base, you don’t really get that back home. It’s nice to see these communities coming together.”
Curtling is happy at Armitage Bridge and said: “I love the club. It’s fantastic, I’m really settled and so I can’t see myself leaving for a while yet. It would be great to win the Sykes Cup with the club, it’d be a great club achievement and a personal one too.”
The Armitage Bridge versus Moorlands semi-final is on 10 July, not 3 July. It’s the other semi-final that’s on 3 July.