Lowly rank doesn’t sit well with Royton

CRICKET: THOUGH their place in next year’s Pennine League top flight is secure, Royton are feeling distinctly uneasy about their current position at the bottom of the Lake Garage CLL’s Premier Division.

Considering the team was good enough to be losing finalists in the Wood Cup, the team should not be in this position. The loss through injury of professional Geeth Alwis has not helped, and his stand-in last weekend, Rahul Javed, was out for a duck in a low scoring one-wicket loss against Unsworth.

Javed gets another chance tomorrow when Royton go to Heywood, while Delph’s Greg Buckley will be the Paddock club’s stand-in pro at home to LCB Cup finalists Littleborough on Sunday.

Crompton need another 14 points from six matches to clinch the Championship title. Two struggling local sides provide the opposition in derby matches this weekend. Basement club Oldham go to Glebe Street tomorrow on the back of being bowled out for 40 by Middleton last weekend, while second- bottom Werneth host the champions elect 24 hours later.

Werneth warm up for the derby with a trip to Milnrow, for whom professional James Price passed 1,000 runs for the season at Heyside on Saturday. Oldham’s opponents at the Pollards on Sunday are Ashton, who pushed Crompton all the way in their most recent fixture at Reyner Lane.

Heyside’s promotion challenge has petered out in recent weeks, so skipper Ryan Barnes will demand an improvement at Middleton tomorrow and at home to Elton on Sunday.