Oldham buoyed for derby test

IT’S derby day in the Lake Garage CLL Championship tomorrow.

Little Hey Street is the venue as Heyside host fellow strugglers Oldham.

The visitors have yet to win a league game so far this season — five defeats and a draw in six outings — but will have been buoyed by last Sunday’s Twenty20 group-stage success when they edged out Unsworth.

It is still early days yet for league newcomers Heyside, but they will have to buck up their ideas if they are to mount a top-three challenge.

At the opposite end of the table, high-flying Crompton head to sixth-placed Milnrow, while Ian Dronsfield’s Werneth will attempt to cause an upset against table-topping Ashton.

Denny Hulme’s Royton bounced back from their heavy league defeat at the hands of Premier Division leaders Norden by beating Milnrow in the Wood Cup 24 hours later.

League spoils are back up for grabs tomorrow, though, with second-bottom Clifton the visitors to The Paddock.

A victory could see Royton zoom comfortably into the top half of the table after seven games.

Twenty20 excitement then returns on Sunday (6.15pm start), though of our local sides, only Werneth, Heyside and Crompton are in action.

Werneth host Elton in Group ‘A’, while in Group ‘B’, Heyside travel to Middleton and in-form Crompton head to Milnrow.

Fixtures —

TOMORROW — Premiership: Rochdale v Walsden, Heywood v Littleborough, Royton v Clifton, Unsworth v Norden. Championship: Heyside v Oldham, Milnrow v Crompton, Werneth v Ashton, Radcliffe v Elton.

SUNDAY — Twenty20 Group ‘A’: Ashton v Radcliffe, Werneth v Elton. Group ‘B’: Middleton v Heyside, Milnrow v Crompton. Group ‘C’: Unsworth v Rochdale. Group ‘D’: Clifton v Monton and Weaste.