Moorside on the march

CRICKET: MOORSIDE’S Armstrongs Office Furniture Saddleworth and District Cricket League season can be split into three neat sections.

Part one: Unbeaten in their first five games, including a Tanner Cup defeat of Shaw.

Part two: Failed to register a win in all competitions from May 23 to June 26, a total of eight matches.

Part three: Unbeaten in their last eight games, a run which has featured six victories. Also through to finals day in the Twenty20 Cup.

A rollercoaster ride of results in anybody’s book, with a huge dip in form in the mid-part of the campaign.

But Moorside, who finished 2009 second-bottom with virtually the same side, are on the up again. Their recent record is excellent and they are firmly on track in fulfilling their pre-season target, according to overseas amateur Lloyd Kingston.

The all-rounder, who is his third year at Turf Pit Lane, said: “Our aim was to finish in the top five and we’ve got a brilliant chance of achieving that goal.

“We got off to a flyer, then we had a slump, but results have picked up again of late.

“Being able to field a consistent team week in, week out has made a huge difference to the turnaround in fortunes. Those defeats coincided with regular first-team players being away — I missed two games after I got married.

“Saying that, Richard Baines, Matt Britton and Lee Warburton were absent for the recent win over Droylsden because of one reason or another, but all three should be back for Saturday’s massive game against Heyside.”

The showdown is of equal importance to both sides. Victory for Moorside could lift them into the top five, while defeat for Heyside would almost certainly hand a fourth consecutive title to Bamford Fieldhouse before August is up.

Kingston, like his team-mates, won’t be found wanting for confidence for this weekend’s clash.

The 24-year-old broke new ground last Saturday by recording the first hat-trick of his career.

“It was awesome,” said the South African, who spent a season at Oldham in the CLL before joining Moorside.

“It was my first hat-trick and it felt great. It also came at a crucial time in the match as Droylsden were on course for a big score.

“They were 120 for none with 17 overs to go, but JP Lee picked up the first two wickets, then I got three-in-three.

“JP Lee has taken 10 wickets and scored 100 runs in the last couple of games. He seems to be peaking at the right time.

“Danny Anchor looks solid at the top of the order and also has a good head on his shoulders. Matt Britton can put the ball away and Kashif Khan scored an excellent 60-odd against Droylsden.

“He is also one of those players who are capable of changing a game in an instant with his style of batting.”