OLD Southendian & Southchurch are desperate to bring their five-match losing run to an end when they visit fellow strugglers and local rivals Leigh-on-Sea tomorrow.

The Old Boys were beaten by Horndon-on-the-Hill last weekend as they fell 24 runs short of their opponents.

The result saw them drop into the bottom two in Division Two of the Shepherd Neame Cricket League, although their opponents are also short on confidence after a shaky start to the season.

Leigh have won just once in their first seven matches, and are just three points above Southend in the standings.

However, with things so tight in the table, a win for either could be enough to jump to fourth in the division.

And Old Boys captain Aaron Lucas is mindful of that ahead of the clash at Chalkwell Park.

“It is going to be a big game but we are looking forward to it,” he said. “We aren’t far away from getting that next win but we need to take our chances.

“When you are on a bad run, you tend to drop chances like I did against Horndon and those chances end up costing you.

“But we are confident and the league still looks OK as we have been narrowly beaten in a lot of our matches.

“So we will be up for it and will be confident of getting the right result.”

Wickford head to Hutton hoping to turn-around their season, with just one win on the board so far.

Chirag Desai’s men are bottom and three places below Hutton but just four points separates them in the standings, meaning a win may be even more significant come the end of the day’s play.

It is a Thurrock derby for Horndon as they look to become the first side this season to get the better of the impressive Belhus.

Five wins, a tie and a draw have put Belhus top of the table, 21 points ahead of Oakfield Parkonians in second while Horndon sit fourth.

However, a win for the away side could bridge the gap to the top three and keep the title race very much alive.