TOBY Mullins admits it is about time Kingsley put one over on bogey team Port Sunlight when the rivals meet at the Croft on Saturday.

His side have lost the past five games between them in league and cup, and have been skittled for less than 80 on all but one of those occasions.

However they start this weekend’s contest buoyed by winning six successive matches in the Cheshire League’s top-flight following a four-wicket triumph at Haslington last time out.

“It’s baffling that we’ve been so bad against Port Sunlight,” said the first-team captain.

“There is a block there of some sort, and it’s fair to say they are one of the strongest opponents we’ve faced in the past couple of seasons.

“It’s hard to explain why those games have been so one-sided, and we’ve not talked about it at all!

“They don’t have an outstanding individual that always does for us, but they do have seven or eight very good cricketers that apply pressure really well.

“We’ve been guilty of throwing away our wickets through frustration or making a daft decision, and that’s something we’ll work on in practice.”

There is an added incentive to end the hoodoo.

Kingsley, playing in Division One for the first time after securing promotion as champions last summer, have risen to fifth in the table as a reward for their recent run.

A seventh straight win would propel them above their opponents, potentially into third place if results in other games go their way.

Mullins said: “We’re not thinking too much about that.

“We’re in good form and confidence is high.

“I asked the boys if they wanted to get a bit giddy and go for it more often by batting first but we decided against changing something that’s been working for us.”

He admits that Kingsley have exceeded expectation to be where they are in their maiden campaign at this level.

They expected to survive, and to be competitive, but a total of 11 wins from 16 games is an impressive return.

Mullins added: “A lot of our guys have stepped up a bit more than I expected, which is fantastic for me as captain.

“I think it helps as well that we don’t have a star player we rely on – everybody knows they’ll need to contribute if we’re going to have any success.

“That’s happened time and again this season, and three or four of us scored 30-odd last week to get the job done.

“I guess the secret is to keep getting better together.”