CHESHIRE cannot afford to get carried away by their 77-3 demolition of Durham at the weekend if they are to maintain hopes of further progress in the Tetley's County Championship.
Certainly it was a very encouraging performance by Cheshire at Winnington Park with several players performing above themselves, and there is a terrific spirit in the camp.
They could do no more than win well against limited opposition and certainly they should come on from their first full match.
The crunch comes on Saturday away to Yorkshire who are always a force in the Championship and will field an experienced side at Otley when a semi-final place will be at stake.
One thing that could favour Cheshire is that Yorkshire have not had a match so far.
They were due to meet Berk-shire last Saturday but they surprisingly withdrew from the match stating they could not provide a good enough side to travel.
It is yet another throw back from League life which has been badly hit such as the championship, County Cup competitions and friendly club encounters which did so much to foster club relationships but which are now only fond memories for the most part.
Cheshire picked up one or two knocks against Durham but chairman of selectors Roger Blake should be able to name the same starting lineup on Saturday.
A win would mean a home semi-final against Devon or Cornwall at Macclesfield on May 15, with Cheshire hoping to go one better than their defeat in the final against Gloucestershire at Twickenham two years ago, when the strength of the opponents' pack was the decisive factor on the day.
