Likely lads

Photo: Anthony Miller

THREE OF A KIND: Lancashire County Cricket Club trio Kyle Hogg (left), Luke Procter and Arron Lilley.

CRICKET: OLDHAM’S trio of cricketing stars aims to fire Lancashire straight back to the top flight of county cricket.

Amazingly, the LV= County Championship-winning season of 2011 was relegated during a deeply frustrating summer last year.

Greenfield’s Kyle Hogg, Oldham CC graduate Luke Procter and Delph’s Arron Lilley are determined to play their part in getting Lancashire back on top.

Greenfield ace Hogg is under no illusions over Lancashire’s goal this summer.

“It has to be promotion,” he said. “This stadium needs Division One cricket and that’s what we will be aiming for.

“It was strange last summer. When we won the title everything seemed to go for us.

“We would finish matches when others didn’t because of rain — anything that could go right did do. It was exactly the opposite last season.”

The 29-year-old Hogg took just 18 wickets with his right-arm fast/medium bowling and it was a general lack of penetration from the Lancashire bowling attack which led to many of the team’s struggles.

He added: “We just didn’t get the early breakthroughs we managed the season before and our batting wasn’t great either, being bowled out for under 200 a few times.

“That’s something we need to put right.”

For Procter, 2013 promises to be a pivotal season in his development. It will be his second full season around the first team and he has his sights set on opening the batting.

“I’m averaging over 35 in first-class cricket and would like to get that up to 40 this year. Hopefully, if I can open, that will help.”

Procter also hopes to be given more chance with his medium pace bowling, which netted him seven for 76 against Surrey and five for 19 against Durham in 2012.

“I see myself as a batsman who can bowl, but I hope to get some chances with the ball, especially if there is some swing about,” he said.

Lilley (22) knows he will have to wait for his senior chance at Old Trafford, but is determined to make an impact when it arrives.

As a first-season pro he is keen to show the skills that netted him over 1,100 runs and more than 80 wickets for Delph in the Huddersfield League last summer.

The 22 year old said: “My aim is to establish myself in the second team by taking wickets and making runs,” he said.

keithmchugh@oldham-chronicle.co.uk