WITH a crucial weekend of fixtures ahead Barnt Green CC captain Simon Froggatt has demanded an improvement from his out of form side.

Barnt Green go into crucial league and cup matches on the back of two defeats and are also suffering poor form.

The Birmingham and District League Premier Division champions hope to re-ignite their title defence when they take on the summer's pace-setters West Bromwich Dartmouth this Saturday, before going to Shropshire side Whitchurch in the regional semi-finals of the Cockspur National Knockout Cup the following day.

With such a big weekend of games approaching Froggatt, who took over from Richard Illingworth as captain, has called on the side to improve. He also dismissed excuses that the team's early season plans have been wrecked by four abandoned matches.

He said: "I look around the team and see seven or eight players who have played in county first and second teams and are excellent at club level.

"We've had four games rained off but we can't use that as an excuse because we've lost two out of three league games we played. We also lost a game to Walsall that we should have won in the trophy."

In the last two matches Green's batting order has failed to get amongst the runs and the captain admits if that form continues he will have to change the side.

He said: "We're losing the first five wickets too easily. I'm going to keep faith in the players this weekend but if they don't buck up I'll have to swap things around.

"There comes a time when changes have to be made, as they're plenty of players who can come in and do a good job."

Green though can turn their season around by defeating table-topping West Bromwich at Sandwell Park on Saturday, while victory over Whitchurch would put the side one round away from the cup's national rounds.

Froggatt said: "We're going to have to beat West Bromwich and Whitchurch if we are really going to turn this slump around."

The captain is expected to return to the side after missing last Saturday's defeat to Walsall because of food poisoning, while all rounder Richard Wilkinson is also back in the side.

Both of Barnt Green's games away from home this weekend start at 1pm.

by Peter McKinney