Royton stars refuse to play

ROYTON’S Gareth Lees.

CRICKET: ROYTON Cricket Club's Lake Garage CLL campaign took a bizarre twist at the weekend when four selected members of the first team opted to withdraw from the side.

Their decision came 48 hours after the appointment as captain of veteran campaigner John Punchard.

One of the four was Gareth Lees, the player asked to step down as captain by the Royton cricket committee. Punchard is the fourth Royton captain during a turbulent campaign for the Paddock outfit.

The other three were bowlers Andrew Westphal and Ryan Mayes, and experienced opening batsman Simon Brierley.

The other two were professional Luke Procter, who stood down because of increasing commitments to Lancashire, and Matt Ward, who sustained a serious arm injury shortly after taking over the reins.

Punchard was appointed following a difficult period on the field which saw them slip to the lower reaches of the table.


::Full story online in the EChron (subscription required) or in tonight’s Oldham Chronicle