Skipper eyes last-four upset

NIGEL Stock is hoping to lead Glodwick to a first Tanner Cup final appearance.

CRICKET: “THIS is quite possibly the biggest game in the club’s history.”

That’s how captain Nigel Stock has described Sunday’s Tanner Cup showdown at Heyside.

The semi-final tie was due to take place last weekend, only for persistent rain to spoil things.

The two sides reconvene at Little Hey Street, with Glodwick eyeing a first appearance in the Saddleworth and District Cricket League’s showpiece final.

Stock’s men are the underdogs — they have lost their previous five league games — but he has backed them to pull off a surprise.

He said: “We always try to do our best and, even though we are not on the best of runs, we will give it a good go.

“We can beat anyone on our day, we know that, and hopefully our best will be good enough.”

Brothers Imran and Atif Khan are unavailable for Glodwick, while Heyside are still without professional Roelof Hugo, who has returned home to South Africa suffering from a stress-related illness.

Fellow countryman Pieter Malan — Barrow’s paid man — will deputise.

Stock added: “Although we’ve got a lot of respect for Hugo, they’ve replaced one good player with another.

“But it only takes one good ball to get a wicket and we’ve got plenty of bowlers who are capable of delivering it.

“Heyside have got some good players, with the likes of Nick Campbell and John Selby to name but two, so it would be silly to concentrate on one man.”

Bamford Fieldhouse and Greenfield, who meet in the other semi-final, will be sick of the sight of each other by Sunday evening.

As well as locking horns at Ladhill Lane, they also clash in the league tomorrow when Bamford are the hosts.

Greenfield swept aside Droylsden by 10 wickets in their last outing, and they will need to be as good and some more to deny Paddy McKeown’s side a fourth straight final.

The pick of tomorrow’s action sees front-runners Uppermill take on fourth-placed Shaw at Leefields.