East Molesey CC skipper Kieran Burge has one target, and one target only – to stay in the Premier Division of the Surrey Championship.

Following a fifth weekend without a win, after Spencer claimed a winning draw at Graburn Way on Saturday, East Molesey are second from bottom in ninth, and they go to bottom club Sutton this weekend.

Burge took over the captaincy from Paul Lawford after the club were promoted to the top flight last season.

However, it is likely to be only a one-year tenure as Kieran’s brother Sam, who was captain prior to Lawford’s one year as skipper, will resume the captaincy at the end of this season.

And with such a short period in charge, Burge’s goal is very simple.

“Finishing eighth will do me. We said that at the start of the season and we still believe it can be done,” he said.

“It’s been a tough start, but we always knew it would be. A lot of clubs that are promoted go straight back down because it is such a big step up.”

He added: “We’re about as positive as we can be, because even though we have played two of the top three, we have not been trounced.

“There will be the usual suspects at the top, but if we play properly against the other teams, I believe we are good enough to stay in the division.”

The Premier Division format changed to 66 overs last week, and Burge believes it suits his team’s style of play far better than the 50-over format.

“Some clubs have batsmen at seven or eight who are there to give it a smack," he added.

“We have hard hitters, but we are better suited to the nudge and nurdle style – at least we had better be.”

He added: “We still believe in what we’re doing. It is tough to continually talk up our chances in the face of defeats, but we’ve got Sutton this weekend, who are really struggling, and hopefully we’ll get the win to boost our confidence.”