Royton snap up Durose

ALAN Durose celebrates taking a wicket for Werneth

CRICKET: AMBITIOUS Royton Cricket Club have swooped to end their captaincy woes.

In a move which will send shock waves through local cricket circles, Alan Durose has been appointed as first-team captain at the Paddock for the 2011 Lake Garage CLL season.

That means leading all-rounder Durose has ended his association with Werneth following two seasons back at the Coppice.

Durose first joined Werneth as a nine-year-old and was a key player for the club until Saddleworth League outfit Moorside made him an offer to become their professional in 2008.

After just one season at Turf Pit Lane, the 26-year-old returned to Werneth for whom his efforts with bat and ball contributed to satisfactory campaigns in 2009 and 2010.

Royton will hope the appointment of Durose will bring much-needed stability to their first-team which had four different leaders this summer.

Professional Luke Procter was first to take the baton but, because of increasing commitments to Lancashire, he had to relinquish the role to batsman Matt Ward.

Ward then picked up a serious arm injury which ruled him out and paved the way for wicketkeeper Gareth Lees to become skipper.

As fortunes on the field took a turn for the worse, Lees was relieved of his duties in favour of veteran all-rounder John Punchard, but that proved to be a switch plagued by problems as several first-teamers refused to support the appointment and declined to play.

Now Durose will captain a team with plenty of potential if the talent at the club can be harnessed in the right direction.

He said: "The chance to play for Royton as captain was just too good to resist and it's a challenge I want to take on. There is plenty of talent at the club with a mix of experience and youth.”