Road club on move

ROSSENDALE Road Club were boosted by the addition of Nick Cooper and junior Matthew Toman to the team for the second round of the Malcolm Eccles Trophy inter-club challenge at Bashall Eaves – but it wasn’t enough to overcome the deficit from the first round against the North Lancs RC.

Cooper was second overall, just 22 seconds behind the North Lancs’ Mark Haydock, with Toman posting a respectable 28:17 min for the 10 mile circuit. The overall time gap between the two clubs over the two events was 26:53 minutes with the Clitheroe Bike Club trailing in third.

Weather conditions were perfect for the valley club’s ten-mile time trial at Hapton and Stephen Irwin took advantage to post a very quick time of 21:46 min – just three seconds off the course record set by British Cycling’s Simon Wilson. Irwin’s club colleague, Fraser Snape, was second.

Paul Warrener was the lead Rossendale club member in third place overall in 25:18, with Roy Flanagan in fifth and Julian Monk seventh. Lisa Greenwood was the leading woman from Vanessa Hamlet of Rossendale Tri Club.

STACKSTEADS CC’s second successive league game was called off without a ball being bowled due to heavy rain, making it five games so far this season that have been lost.

The club will be hoping the sun shines on August 28 when they host the inaugural ‘Big Thrash’ competition where teams from The Riverside Rawtenstall, The Roebuck at Whitwell Bottom, and Nick Smith’s Motor Repairs, will go head-to-head in an eight-over innings.

Off the field there will be plenty of activities to keep the family entertained such as a magic show, face painting, closest to the pin, children’s games and a barbecue.