Pollards pain goes on and on

CRICKET:

WHAT more can go wrong? Oldham skipper Chris McDonnell must surely be asking himself that question following another weekend of rotten luck.

Only a few days after hearing his team might be deducted 15 points following the club’s oversight in not registering overseas amateur Keelayn Gossayn, McDonnell was hit by a follow-up double whammy.

Facing Rochdale quickie Scott Butterworth on a Redbrook track with plenty of bounce, McDonnell went to hook a short delivery.

Unfortunately for McDonnell, the ball flew off a top edge and went through the narrowest of gaps in his helmet, stunning him to such a degree that he fell to the ground where he remained for six or seven minutes.

An ambulance was sent for and a trip to hospital revealed that there was no break, but a cracking shiner!

Advised not to play the following day, McDonnell was a frustrated spectator as Oldham slumped to a second successive defeat, this time against local rivals Werneth at the Pollards.

Another loss was bad enough, but to make matters worse Oldham had to play the whole game without professional Mohammed Hanif who, like hundreds of others, was stuck in a major traffic jam on the M62.

At 7pm he was still trying to get to the ground in vain and Oldham were left to wonder what else could go wrong in a season which began with plenty of optimism.




IN complete contrast to Oldham’s woes, their former junior star Luke Procter can do little wrong at present.



Fresh from smacking five sixes and 23 fours in a whirlwind unbeaten 198 against Crompton on Sunday, the Royton CC professional was at it again earlier this week.

Facing Leicestershire in a three-day game at Todmorden, Procter hit 150 for Lancashire seconds, a superb knock which contained five sixes and 21 fours.

And Procter followed up by grabbing two wickets for six runs from fours overs of fast medium pace as his golden spell continued.

A chance in the Lancashire first team is surely imminent.