Howard’s troops to stake claim for top honours

STEVEN HOWARD . . . pitting his wits against Bamford Fieldhouse.

CRICKET:

SADDLEWORTH versus Bamford Fieldhouse, second and third respectively, is the stand-out clash in the Versasteel Saddleworth and District Cricket League tomorrow.

It is the acid test for Steven Howard’s hosts against a team chock-full of ex-Test players and former professionals.

But for a dodgy spell at the end of May and beginning of June when they lost three games on the bounce, Saddleworth would be top of the table.

Bamford’s season, like the majority of others in the league, has suffered at the hands of the elements. Their only defeat came at home to Greenfield when the fixture clashed with a National Knock-out date. Bamford, fielding a much-changed team, lost by five wickets.

Victory for either side would keep the pressure on leaders Uppermill who, after beating Shaw in the Twenty20 Cup in midweek, tackle Hollinwood at home.



Friarmere and Glodwick, who meet in the semi-finals of the Tanner Cup next month, warm up with a league encounter at West View.

Glodwick, beaten in a tight affair at Shaw last weekend, are still without leading seamer Imran Asghar because of a family bereavement.



Heyside scraped home against Moorside five days ago — it was only their second league win of the season — and they will look to follow up against Greenfield.



Some of the Shaw players are still without kit after the devastating gas blast on Tuesday.

Pro Lundi Mbane, overseas amateur Oral Rankine and opener Joe Whitehead, who live close to the site of the explosion are still waiting to return to their homes.

All three may have to borrow kit when they go to bottom club Micklehurst.



Austerlands have only Micklehurst above them, so be will desperate to win at Droylsden, while Moorside have no easy task at Stayley, for whom overseas amateur Usman Malvi is closing in on 500 runs for the season.










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