Mellor targeting extra percentage points to boost Leek's mission

LEEK captain Alex Mellor insists striving to raise the bar is behind his side’s impressive run of form.

- Chris Travers

The Moorlanders find themselves joint top of NSSCL Premier A - along with Audley - after seven weekends of the season.

It marks the continued resurgence of the Highfield outfield, who sprung into life at the back end of the 2023 campaign.

They won their last two league games to ensure survival and also captured the Talbot Cup.

And it’s been an upward trajectory since then with Mellor’s men finishing as runners-up last summer.

Leek also held on to the cup after winning the 2024 competition, beating Checkley in a final which was delayed until the start of the current season due to bad weather.

An opening-day league defeat by Moddershall & Oulton has been shrugged off as Leek won five successive pink-ball matches.

"We had a fantastic start in the first game in the Talbot Cup against Checkley in the replay," said skipper Mellor.

"It was great because realistically we carried on where we left off. We had the right attitude and then we played Moddershall & Oulton and didn’t quite get things right.

"But to win five out of six pink ball games, you take that, 100 per cent. I’m really happy with the start we’ve made.

"It’s credit to the boys to be fair. We've had lots of lads chipping in and the all-round performances from the group have been very good."

Leek ended just three points behind champions Hem Heath in the final standings in 2024.

And they would have been crowned champions had it not been for a remarkable run of form from Hem Heath, who won 11 of their last 12 matches to emerge through the pack to defend their title.

"We reflected on 2024 as a group and there were little things that we didn’t do as well as we would have liked," added Mellor.

"Every day is a school day and we're always trying to get better. It’s about trying to find that extra 10 per cent out of all of us.