BURY captain Karl Belston is happy for his side to keep the underdog tag as they continue to battle on three fronts in league and cup.

The Radcliffe Road side made it three straight wins in the Greater Manchester League Premier Division with a six-wicket victory over Prestwich on Saturday.

And they followed that up on Sunday by winning through to the semi-finals of the Derek Kay First XI Cup, cruising past Division One side Edgworth by seven wickets.

Belston’s men are also into the knockout stages of the GMCL20, and will host Greenmount on Friday (6.15pm) for a place in the quarter-finals.

Despite their current form, the Bury skipper believes opponents are still underestimating them, after they narrowly escaped relegation on the final day of last season and remain in the drop zone at the halfway of point of the current campaign.

“We are under no illusions that it will be going right to the wire, just as it did last year, but we are up for the challenge,” he said.

“It seems we keep being written off, but we have the experience of battling against the odds and have found a way to win.

“It’s no secret formula, we are pulling together off the field just as much as we are on it.

“The committee need to be applauded for helping to create such a strong unit.”

Opener Mohammed Jamal was the star man over the weekend, with match-winning knocks in both league and cup.

His 64 from 64 balls against Prestwich was the stand-out innings in a game where every other batsman found it difficult to score runs quickly.

Sam Holden hit a well-crafted 98, but it took Prestwich’s usually big-hitting batsman 126 balls to do so.

Alex Breckin’s 4-36 and 3-43 from Jordan Belston restricted the visitors and opened the door for Jamal to power Bury through it.

He was given masterful support by pro Kasun Adikari (60) as Bury reached their target with eight balls to spare.

Bury impressed even more in the cup, as Jamal eased to an unbeaten 79 and Belston’s men chased down Edgworth’s 166 with 10 overs to spare.

It was Adikari’s turn to lead the Bury attack, claiming 4-32 as the Edgworth wickets were shared out among six bowlers.

Belston added: “The shackles are off in the cup games and that is where I feel we come into our own. Hopefully we can go all the way as there’s a good vibe around the club, on and off the field.”

GMCL 20 draw (selected fixtures): Walshaw v Bamford Fieldhouse, Bury v Greenmount, Elton v Edenfield, Elton Vale v Denton St Lawrence.