Werneth aim to repel neighbours

THEY may have missed the boat when it comes to CLL honours, but local pride remains important to all four of our local teams.

So the battle for bragging rights continues this weekend when Werneth, Crompton, Royton and Oldham all face games they will believe they have every chance of winning.

Werneth are the highest-placed local club in the CLL and the visit of Clifton tomorrow gives them every chance of ending a disappointing sequence of results.

Following the return home of professional Humayun Farhat, Werneth have been trying to secure a stand-in professional for tomorrow’s game against a team four places below them in the table.

Crompton are just behind Werneth and will be hoping Rochdale have a Wood Cup hangover at Redbrook tomorrow.

Rochdale performed respectably in defeat against Monton and Weaste in last Sunday’s cup final, but it’s never easy for a team to lift itself after such a setback.

Oldham returned to winning form against Walsden recently, so the visit of struggling Ashton should hardly send shock waves through the Pollards ranks.

And Royton should be equally confident of victory against an Unsworth side lacking ace professional Wayne Madsen.

The South African is playing for Derbyshire against Surrey in a four-day County Championship match.

Tomorrow: Heywood v Littleborough; Middleton v Walsden; Monton and Weaste v Radcliffe; Norden v Milnrow; Oldham v Ashton; Rochdale v Crompton; Royton v Unsworth; Werneth v Clifton. Sunday (Burton Cup final, 1.30pm): Unsworth v Clifton.