Lancashire League: Rishton banish Sleep (29 Aug 1998)

29 August 1998

Rishton banish Sleep

The Lancashire Evening Telegraph

Peter Sleep has been told by Rishton that he is "no longer welcome at the club", writes PETER WHITE.

The club has accused the Australian all-rounder of trying to induce Rishton players to join Darwen, where Sleep looks set to be the professional next season.

But he claimed Rishton were "making mountains out of molehills".

Rod Simpson, chairman of the Lancashire League club where Sleep is a former professional said: "We have informed Peter Sleep that he is no longer welcome at Rishton CC on the grounds that he has been inducing some of our players to leave and go to Darwen next season.

"He is a Jekyll and Hyde character as far as Rishton is concerned.

"On the one hand he is always saying he has got the best interests of the club at heart but on the other he is trying to undermine our interests."

Sleep said things had been blown out of all proportion and that there were some players Rishton had openly said they did not want to stay at the club. Another, he claimed, had told him he did not want to play there next season.

"It's very petty but I should have learned that lesson over the years.

"I wanted to help them during the winter with the kids but all that goes out of the window now.

"Maybe I am too strong a person in the club, maybe they wanted me out anyway. People forget what I have done for the club over the years.

"They also forget that I got players to come here when Rishton won the league. We took players from other clubs. I wasn't the bad guy in 1995, all of a sudden I am.

"The simple fact is that I am not too sure they look after their players properly."

I understand that Rishton were so upset by the situation that they approached the relevant leagues to express their concern.

Darwen chairman Peter Lamster, hoping to be able to sign Sleep as next year's professional, denied any knowledge of "poaching".

Source :: Lancashire Evening Telegraph (https://www.reednews.co.uk/let/)