Jer Lane chasing a rare Halifax hat-trick
Jer Lane start their quest for a hat-trick of Foster’s Halifax League top-section titles tomorrow - something which hasn’t been achieved in the last half-century. Mick Hustler’s side open with a tough home game against Booth and there will be few people willing to bet against them adding to a silverware haul which also includes a 2013 Parish Cup success.
The opposition won’t lack incentive, however, as Lane continue to sign top players from their rivals to supplement their ranks.
Lane’s response to losing two of their best players, paceman Sam Wilson and young batsman Jordan Lane, has been to raid Booth for Chris Shannon and Thornton for another ex-Bradshaw player, Wayne Cotton.
They have also recruited bowler Mansha Khan from Haworth Road Methodists.
Booth, Thornton, Mytholmroyd, resurgent Triangle and a Copley side who won the Parish Cup and Twenty/20 competition last week could be among their major rivals.
Promoted pair SBCI and Queensbury will also be keen to make an impact.
SBCI will be keen to shed their yo- yo image while Queensbury are treading new ground as they play in the top flight for the first time.
Spinners Amjad Ali and Gurdev Singh, who have taken plenty of wickets in the league’s lower reaches,will certainly give top flight batsmen something different to think about.
Dan Crossland from Outlane and Ross Irving from Cleckheaton are additions to Phil Sharples’ side.
Bradshaw and Sowerby St Peters will be the teams trying to bounce back from the Premier at the first attempt.
Go-ahead clubs Bridgeholme and Luddenden Foot are up to the middle section while there are newcomers in Division Two for the second year running.
UpperHopton, who have fielded junior teams in theleague, have become full members, following in the footsteps of Cullingworth 12 months ago.
Wibsey Park Chapel are now Great Horton Park Chapel after their switch from Park Avenue to Ewart Street.
The days of players spending their careers at one club sems to have gone out of the window. League official Peter Taylor reports a late flood of registrations - 79 in the first 15 days of April. Around 60 per cent of those are switching from one club to another.
Oxenhope, Southowram, Bridgeholme and Great Horton Park are among the clubs who have been the most busy in the recruitment stakes.
The more high- profile transfers include Nick Whitehill’s move back to Sowerby Bridge from Scholes. Fosters Halifax League (1-30) - Premier: Copley v Blackley (R Taylor & A Ford), Jer Lane v Booth (P Mallinson & R Crossland), Queensbury v Mytholmroyd (R Howarth & S Hemmingway), Southowram v Sowerby Bridge (John Wilson & K Campbell), SBCI v Thornton (R Wade & D Redhead), Triangle v Warley (J Hyland & A Welch). Premier seconds: Blackley v Copley (R Wilkinson), Booth v Jer Lane (M Rothwell), Mytholmroyd v Northowram (H Sandford), Sowerby Bridge v Southowram (A Rawnsley), Thornton v SBCI (S Bottomley), Warley v Triangle (S Pullen). Division One: Bridgeholme v Stones (R Huck & K Hartley), Low Moor v Sowerby (E Sykes & M Summerscales), Northowram v Luddenden Foot (S Hunter & J Doherty), Oxenhope v Bradshaw (G Hughes & Jack Wilson). Division One seconds: Great Horton v Clayton (J Shaw), Old Crossleyans v Outlane (I Revill), Sowerby v Greetland (T Laycock), Stones v Bridgeholme (P Gatehouse). Division Two: Clayton v GreatHorton (J Sen- ior), Cullingworth v Shelf (J Mullan), Denholme Clough v Upper Hopton (A Mitchell), Greetland v Old Town (A Rushworth), Outlane v Old Crossleyans (S Wyatt). Division Two seconds: Bradshaw v Oxenhope (B Tennyson), Luddenden Foot v Queensbury (D Bates), Old Town v Low Moor (P Butterfield), Shelf v Cullingworth (G Cowgill), Upper Hopton v Denholme (P Taylor). Bradford League, Division One: Farsley v Lightvcliffe. Division Two: Brighouse v Idle. Central Yorkshire League, Championship:
Huddersfield League, Premier Division:
Aire/ Wharfe League, Division Two: Sunday Foster’s Halifax League Sunday Section, Rod Warhurst Cup, Group A:
Group
B: D: Division Three: Lancs League: Rawtenstall v Todmorden. Central Lancs: Walsden v Unsworth. Teams - SBCI (home to Thornton): T Wood, S Wood, M Scholefield, G Hampshire, C Dalby, R Hanson, O Benson, J Sykes, L Firth. R Dawson, D Sykes. Res: C Harrison. Meet 12.15. SBCI II (away to Thornton): C Potts, D Keighley, S Brass, S Hampshire, M Keats, J Greenwood, A Parker, M Wood, S Robinson, J Hampshire. Meet Thornton 12.45. SBCI III (home to Thornton): M Keast, J Greenwood, A Boocock, D Keast, P Collins, B Haigh, O Mawer, A Parker, B Conway, D Brown, H Lamper, J.Scholefield. Meet 12.30. Todmorden have suffered an eve-of-season bombshell with the news that new professional Bilawal Bhatti won’t be coming until the end of May.
The fast bowling all-rounder has been selected for a Pakistan A tour to Sri Lanka, which takes in four four-day games and four one-dayers.
The Centre Vale club have hastily drafted in South African Francois Haasbroek for Sunday’s Lancashire League opener away to Rawtenstall and are looking for a semipermanent replacement for the following eight matches before Bhatti arrives.
Todmorden skipper Andrew Sutcliffe said: “It is a big blow for us in the week before the season starts,” he said.
Sutcliffe is confident that they have a top class replacement for Sunday in the towering Haasbroek, who will be playing for Euxton in the Ribblesdale League this season.
“Haasbroek was pro at Lowerhouse when they won back-to-back championships in our league.” he said.
Todmorden are trying to avoid having to use standin professionals for the first month and half of the season.
“In an ideal world we would like someone who can fly in for eight games but that will not be easy because it would have to be someone with a European passport to avoid visa delays,” said Sutcliffe.
“We are talking to a couple of players at the moment but it would need to be a fast turnaround. If not it would be no-go.”
Todmorden complete their preparations for the season with a home friendly against Rochdale on Saturday.