Ribblesdale League: Ramsbottom cup semi-final preview (19 June 1999)

19 June 1999

Ribblesdale League: Ramsbottom cup semi-final preview

The Lancashire Evening Telegraph

Whalley return to the semi-final stage of the Ramsbottom Cup tomorrow determined to upset the form book and make amends for a crushing defeat 12 months ago.

The Station Road outfit crumbled in their last-four tie a year ago to hand Earby a final place against eventual winners Cherry Tree.

Tomorrow it's Cherry Tree on home soil who stand in Whalley's way but Fallon hopes that his side will have learned from their mistakes.

"Last year we played in the semi-final against Earby and they rolled us over for 50-odd. We are determined not to be embarrassed again," he stressed.

The two sides were staging a dress rehearsal today when in-form Whalley were looking for their fourth win in five games against a Cherry Tree side who are just a point behind the joint Jennings Ribblesdale League leaders.

Fallon added: "We play them on Saturday in the league at our place and while I'm not a great believer in psychological advantages it would be nice to win to continue our improvement.

"People are starting to perform for us now, although Cherry Tree are a good team. I know a lot of the lads down there and they will be confident but not over-confident. "Their professional is a guy I have tremendous respect for and they have a lot of strength in depth.

"It's not an easy game for us but I would warn Cherry Tree against complacency. We want to cause a surprise."

Whalley reached the last four of the cup with a quarter-final win over Great Harwood when the skipper led from the front with 54. Fallon also made 86 for the league representative team last weekend and, with professional Graham Knowles showing signs of regaining form, Whalley will hope to make up for the absence of David Pearson, who will be on Minor Counties duty with Cumbria.

And they also boast a useful bowling attack, spearheaded by David O'Neill and Jason Smith, which stands them in good stead in the competition which requires five bowlers.

"I would not rule us out of the league with only a third of the season gone but the cup is our biggest chance of winning something," Fallon added.

There is also an added incentive for all four teams on semi-final duty tomorrow, a fact not lost on the Whalley skipper who is hoping to put Whalley's name on the trophy for the first time in six years.

"The final is going to be played on one of the finalists' ground so you have a 50 per cent chance of hosting the game which would be a big money-spinner for the club," Fallon admitted.

The other semi-final sees the top two in the league square up at the Arbories where Padiham take on Ribblesdale Wanderers. Both sides have lost just once this season, although Wanderers, who have never lifted the trophy, were just about shading the league game between the two when it was abandoned last Saturday.

Tomorrow's games: Cherry Tree v Whalley, Padiham v Ribblesdale Wanderers.

Source :: The Lancashire Evening Telegraph