Lancashire League: Skipper Lomas eyes triple (29 Aug 1997)

29 Aug 1997

Lancashire League: Skipper Lomas eyes triple

Lancashire Evening Telegraph

EAST Lancs skipper Mark Lomas knows it's all or nothing as the title race reaches boiling point in the EW Cartons Lancashire League.

"I think we will have to win all our last three games and possibly pick up a couple of bonus points to win the league," said Lomas, whose team visit Nelson tomorrow in the game rearranged from last Saturday.

"The intriguing thing is that the top four all play each other on the last day of the season.

"We play Lowerhouse and Enfield take on Haslingden.

"Anyone in the know felt that Enfield were going to be an outside shot for the league this year and the way they and Haslingden have been playing recently you would have to fancy Enfield's chances against them.

"But we still have to win our games. You can only do your own thing, we can't help anybody else to beat Haslingden."

Lomas is taking a positive attitude as East Lancs go to Seedhill and a date with their former professional Alan Dawson. And it would be easy to concentrate on the negative side with the Blackburn side having missed out on chances to close the gap at the top as the leaders have stuttered. "We knew it was going to be a two-horse race when Haslingden signed Jack Simpson and Steve Dearden, probably the best two players in the league," he said.

"But while we have a strong squad, we haven't performed as well as we should have done.

"I was injured early on and David Pearson has been playing for Cumberland so we haven't got as many runs as we might.

"We have also dropped a lot of catches and have around five bonus points less than we should have had. These are all little things but they become more signifciant when you put them together.

"You can look back and think 'What if?' but I have been playing in the league a long time and it's what you do on the day that counts. It's pointless looking back. We have to be ready and be positive."

Lowerhouse professional Corrie Jordaan is four wickets away from passing the 100 mark for the season.

Tomorrow's games: Accrington v Ramsbottom, Haslingden v Burnley, Lowerhouse v Church, Nelson v East Lancs, Rishton v Rawtenstall, Todmorden v Colne.

A South African XI was today playing an Invitation World XI in a benefit game, sponsored by NatWest and arranged by East Lancs professional Billy Stelling at Alexandra Meadows, starting at 1pm.

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