Lancashire League: White aims to put pressure on (9 July 1999)

9 July 1999

Lancashire League: White aims to put pressure on

The Lancashire Evening Telegraph

Brad White is hoping to turn the pressure game to Bacup's advantage when they take on East Lancs, the new leaders of the EW Cartons Lancashire League, at Alexandra Meadows tomorrow.

But the South African all-rounder knows that his side face a tough test - and a crucial one - of their ambitions, especially with fellow-countryman Claude Henderson in red-hot form at the moment for double-chasing East Lancs.

"They have lost a few players this season and, hopefully, they might be vulnerable and we can exploit that," said White who went through the 400 league runs mark last weekend and has a good chance of beating both his runs and wicket totals for last summer.

"If we can bat first and put a nice score on the board, we might be able to put a bit of pressure on them.

"And they will be under a bit more pressure than us, because they are top of the league."

Last season Bacup clawed their way out of the bottom half of the table with a late run - just as captain David Thompson insisted they would - to claim a very respectable fifth place.

This time around and currently standing sixth, they are starting from a much stronger position and have hopes of at least equalling their 1998 achievement.

"We are just going into the second half of the season and this is a very important game for us," said White.

"Hopefully we can carry it through like we did last season.

"We are still quite a way behind the leaders but there are a lot of points at stake in each game and we have to concentrate on one match at a time.

"I also think the rules are far better this year both for players and the public. You know you are going to get a result."

If Bacup hope to put the pressure on the leaders, they need only hark back to the early days of the season when they managed to inflict a rare defeat on East Lancs.

It came in a remarkable low-scoring affair, Bacup 85 all out, East Lancs 64.

Obviously conditions were far from ideal but White said: "The wicket wasn't great but both teams should still have scored a lot more runs.

"It wasn't a 60 or 80 wicket, more like 130 or 140.

"There should be more runs about at East Lancs and the ball also turns a lot there."

Henderson and White are old rivals from back home in South Africa but the Bacup professional played down any suggestion of extra needle.

It won't be needed anyway in a game of such importance to both sides.

"Claude has done very well," added White. "I've played against him at home but this will be just another game for both us - nothing personal."

This weekend's double-header could see more significant changes at the top of the Lancashire League table, especially if Bacup have anything to do with it. For, after visiting East Lancs tomorrow, Bacup are at home to second-placed Nelson, the defending champions Sunday.

Tomorrow, Nelson are at home to Rishton while third-placed Haslingden visit Todmorden, scene of that remarkable run spree a couple of weeks ago.

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

Source :: The Lancashire Evening Telegraph