Unsuspecting pair are pitched into title race
Thornton and Sowerby Bridge may be out of the Fosters Halifax League title hunt but they can still have a big say in the destination of the silverware. Two of their last three fixtures are against title protagonists Jer Lane and Booth.
Third- placed Thornton look particularly dangerous opponents, starting at Booth tomorrow and then at home to Jer Lane on the following Saturday.
Sixth- place Bridge host Booth on September 5 and then go to Jer Lane on the last day of the season.
The top two are separated by four points and have pulled 22 points clear of the rest in what promises to be an exciting finish to the campaign.
Booth won by three wickets at Blackley last week but will need the help of some “super subs” tomorrow.
Rob L ay c o c k , R ob Worsnop, Ollie Collinge, Moazzam Ayub and possibly Nigel Horsfall will miss Thornton’s visit but Booth hope they have enough quality in the seconds to cover.
Jack Heptonstall and Patrick Thomas are among the players likely to be drafted in.
First team all-rounder Richard Laycock said the players brought in could be trusted to do a job. “They would probably be first teamers at other clubs,” he said.
Lane, who are bidding to become the first team for 70 years to win the Halifax League title for three years running, host Blackley to- morrow.
Johnny Lister returns and they also have Chris Shannon fit and firing again. Shannon hit an unbeaten 50 down the order at Mytholmroyd last week after a month’s absence with a broken finger sustained dropping a catch against his former club Booth.
Experienced opening batsman Andrew Pinfield said Lane’s destiny was in their own hands.
“We are looking to win our last three but we know Booth are on our coat tails.”
The Calder Valley side closed the gap recently with a win on a day when Lane were rained off .
Pinfield is hoping the weather doesn’t play a further part in the title race.
The league team boss said Lane would give Blackley their full attention before tackling a Thornton side he had expected to be among the title challengers this summer.
One unheralded trump card for Lane is proving to be Imran Mirza, described by Pinfield as a useful “bits and pieces” cricketer.
Mirza was signed early in the season when bowler Mansha Khan picked up an injury. Torrential rain made a mess of last weekend’s Halifax League Sunday Section programme but not before 12-year- old Benjamin Cliff had demonstrated his skills. Cliff returned figures of six for 50 after two spells for Copley thirds away to Illingworth.
In his second spell he took five for nine in 3.5 overs.
Illingworth were bowled out for 135 but the weather broke and the match drawn.