Lancashire League: Todmorden on revenge mission (12 Jun 1998)

12 June 1998

Lancashire League: Todmorden on revenge mission

Pete Oliver

Todmorden are looking for revenge against Ramsbottom tomorrow as they bid to recover from a season's start that has been slow in every sense, writes PETE OLIVER.

The Centre Vale club are second from bottom of the Lancashire League and went out of the Worsley Cup to Ramsbottom at the second round stage.

And to compound their early problems they have also been docked four points for a slow over rate.

The only other two teams in the league to have been penalised are Church and Haslingden who have once each failed to bowl the mandatory 16 overs an hour.

Todmorden's loss of points has effectively negated the bowling bonus points they have accrued but skipper Richard Baigent remains philosophical about the situation.

"We just can't bowl them quickly enough. We should be able to do it but we can't bowl 16 overs an hour. The rule seems fair enough to me so we have just got to put up with it," he said.

The slow over-rate is the downside to employing a quick bowler in the mould of Vasbert Drakes who is enjoying an otherwise prolific season. He has taken 32 wickets and scored 258 runs but Todmorden have still won just once in the league.

"Vasbert is a decent professional but we are not doing as well as we should with the amateurs," admitted Baigent, who also puts the side's struggles down to the loss of Ibra Ali who contibuted 57 wickets last summer. But all is not lost according to the skipper who led from the front with an unbeaten 71 to secure a draw against Enfield last weekend.

"It can turn round in a couple of weeks. The top teams have only won four games so it can change quickly.

"You've got to believe you can turn it around or you wouldn't get up in the morning. We are plenty good enough to do better than we are doing," insisted Baigent.

Ramsbottom haven't set the world on fire either as they are also just one of four teams with a single win.

But they have lost just once and have been handicapped by a string of draws. And in Australian Ian Harvey, Ramsbottom have one of the most explosive batsman in the league.

"He's a good player. But every week you get a decent game because everyone has a got a good pro. That's the type of cricket we are playing," added Baigent.

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

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