:(yj.


Sport in association with Why Hot advertise


your Business in this space!


01282 424041 :>vww>p3computers;eom-’


Thursday; April 27thj 2004 ’ ’


For further details contact our Display Department on


' .with your sportis team of Edward Lee, Chris Boiden, PhH Simpson and Adrian Capstick Hi


Scully - ‘We’ll finish job off’


by Adrian Capstick K'CX-


CLITHEROE manager Lee Sculpher has rallied his troops for the final push to victory. The climax to the season


now hangs on the outcome of the Blues' final game against Nantwich Town this Saturday A point will secure the


championship as title chal­ lengers Mossley have now completed their games and presently head the table on goal difference. The Ashton-under-Lyne


club's final game last Sat- urday was against Rams- bottom United and former Blue Lee Buggie did his old team a massive favour by scoring for United, as Mossley could only man­ age a 2-2 draw. But at Shawbridge, the


■QiC


scoreline didn't ' go Clitheroe's way as they lost their final home game of the season 1-0 to New­ castle Town, which was bitterly disappointing for Sculpher and his side. But nonetheless, he


insists they will bounce back: “The title is still in our hands, and if people had said to us in August that we would need to get a point a t Nantwich to win the league title, then I think we would all have taken that. “So it's just a case of ral­


lying the troops and get­ ting down to Nantwich and hopefully getting the point that's required. “It's really just a case of


avoiding defeat.” Saturday's match was


draining for both sides in sweltering heat, so the Blues boss was more than surprised by the lack of appreciation shown by the 516-strong crowd at the end of the game. He said passionately


after the game: “I t was a very tough game in the conditions. “I'm very disappointed


by the reaction of the spectators a t the end of the game, I thought that it was appalling. “Our supporters didn't


have to run around in all th a t heat, and a t times they only seem to be only looking through blue tint­ ed goggles.” He added: “People can


blame me - they can say what they want - but don't have a go at my play­ ers, because they don't deserve it. “If the supporters were


disappointed, than they should have a think about how disappointed the players are, because they're absolutely gutted not to have won on Satur­ day. “But we'll bounce back and finish the job off at


SO CLOSE: Gary Jackson in action against Newcastle


Nantwich on Saturday.” He added: “You've got


to give all credit to New­ castle who are a very good footballing side. “Leading up to the


game I said they would be hard to beat, but it was lip to us to stop them playing, and unfortunately we did­ n't do that. “We have defended pret­


ty well over the last month, admittedly it was a bit of a sloppy goal that we conceded against New­ castle, but we seemed to be without the ball for large periods of the game, and


you've got to give credit to Newcastle for that.” Sculpher was keeping


his team selection for Sat­ urday close to his chest, and he said: “All I can do at 2 p.m. is name a side to go out and play, and it was the right side for the previ­ ous two games, so why should I change? “Whether or not I play


the same lads come Satur­ day, that's another ques­ tion, but we'll look a t things in training tonight and see how things pan out.”


01282 426161 v. ,’ j


Blues-Eye: View


A LONG, hard season comes to a close on .


.'Saturday, with Clitheroe needing: just a point to secure the North West -Counties Football League, ■ First Divisiontitle.


. • , After 41 games of excitement and tension;-the -,


players and fans have to go throughit all one last time as they seek to secure the championship for • the first time since 1986.


Saturday was a huge disappointment for . , - But the news from Mossley made the evening


slightly more bearable. Ramsbottom United’s excellent 2-2 draw with the Lilywhites means that if the Blues avoid ■:


• defeat on Saturday, they will be crowned champions. In many ways it was probably to be expected ; -


that it would come down to the wire. Clitheroe never do it the easy way, but if the . fans and players alike can withstand a final 90


. minutes of the season, the rewards will be worth receiving. A sizeable crowd is expected at Nantwich Town,


with Mossley likely.to have a large following.- '-- , present. ■..Hopefully, this can assist the Blues, as the -


Mossley faithful seem to have become something • of a lucky omen for the club. ■ The victory at home to Congleton Town and -•••■


the away day success a t Ramsbottom were both achieved with heavy Mossley support for the ^ opposition.


Manager Lee Sculpher commented last week •


how this had helped his team, so hopefully the Mossley fans will once again go home disappointed. / Hopefully Clitheroe will have plenty of their own fans at the game on Saturday to support the’ r.< team one last time and if nil goes according t o ' ; ■


’


plan,:be able to witness the trophy being " presented come 4-45 p.m.


'*


The support all season has been amazing, and with one last big effort from the fans, the club can-'


.be-helped.over.the finishing line to ‘crown'sf‘-.;-;>S'!->-«v memorable season.


Andy Alston Parrott isn’t sick as Clitheroe open


DESPITE a self-inflicted knock to the head, captain Derek Par- rott helped lead Clitheroe’s open A team to a 4-0 victory in their first East Lancashire Tennis League fixture of the season against Sunnyhurst B. Parrott hit himself around the


head with his own tennis racket, resulting in a visit to the blood bin, but he led by example in the win. Having achieved promotion to


ft' pr the Second Division this season, the Chatburn Road outfit expected a testing opening fix­ ture, but did not have to reach top gear to overcome their oppo- nentsfrom Darwen. In their opening encounter,


■VJ5? Parrott and Phil Mileham were alwavs in command, and the


final score of 6-3,6-3 by no means flattered them, as neither serve was remotely threatened. In the second Clitheroe pair­


ing, trusty Stephen Pym was partnered by the mercurial Paul Ainger in his first outing for the team. The combination of Pym’s error-free caution and Ainger’s acrobatic, if inconsistent, net game saw them through in three sets 6-0,4-6,6-2. In the return rubbers, Parrott


and Mileham had far too much in the locker winning 6-3,6-0 in well under an hour, while Pym and Ainger again confounded the form book with a straight sets win of 7-5,6-4. Parrott and Pym also featured in the opening mixed doubles fix­


ture of the summer, with the A team were in action in the cup against fancied Crow Wood A from Burnley. Partnered by Louise Burrill


and Mary Brass respectively, both pairings won their first matches and shared the spoils in their second rubbers. The 3-1 score belies the close­


ness of this four-hour marathon fixture, as neither partnership had things all their own way. Pym and Brass fought back


from three set points down to take the early initiative in their first match, and although Parrott and Burrill dropped only four games in their first two sets, they spluttered somewhat in their sec­ ond match.


In the Junior League,


Clitheroe A locked horns with their own B team in the opening fixture of the season. And despite winter rustiness,


this was a most competitive match, allowing club staff to assess the calibre of juniors at their disposal, with Clitheroe probably having more active junior members than any other club in the league. The A team got off to a com­


fortable start, with the first pair of Josh Black and William Aspinall tussling with Liam Bedford and Emma Calvert, coming out winners 6-2,6-3. The A team second pair of


Andrew Hartley and Matthew Hanson faced off against Mark


win


Higson and Jennifer Holgate. Although the first set went eas­


ily to the A pair at 6-1, Holgate and Higson led.throughout the second set, with Hanson and Hartley having to sweat out some long rallies to close out the set 7-5.


The second rubbers also went


to the A team, but again they were close-fought games, before the match result was confirmed. With all eight players on court


playing some tennis of the high­ est order, the prospects for the season look very rosy. The draw for the club’s knock­


out tournaments will take place at the club this Sunday at 5 p.m., at the conclusion of the American tournament.


■


everyone at the club as.it meant the Blues were : unable to secure the title on home sdoil.


9


Champs | aiming to build on terrific start to


season by Phil Simpson


AT the start of the season, Read skipper Warren Eastham admitted their opening two fixtures would be crucial to the defence of their title.. And victories over


Oswaldtwistle Immanuel and Whalley have already put them clear at the top - the only side to have picked up the full 14 points. As they continue to A


hunt for a third successive w championship, the Veka Ribblesdale League enters its first double header this @ weekend.


_ And the reigning cham- W


pions will need to be at their best to maintain their lofty status. Saturday’s visit of Cher­


ry Tree to Whalley Road brings together two teams with a 100% start, before a tricky trip to Baxenden. At the other end of the


scale is Clitheroe, who are still hunting for their first victory of the campaign. They welcome profes­


sional Craig Thyssen into the ranks for a t r ip to Oswaldtwistle Immanuel on Saturday, before a local derby with Whalley at Chatbum Road. Whalley’s other outing


is a trip to the Arbories to face Padiham. Terry Braithwaite’s *


Ribblesdale Wanderers •* have experienced a mixed 2 start to their 2004 season. O Seven points on the


opening day against WKal- ley was followed on Satur- ^ day by a narrow two-run A defeat to Cherry Tree. And they will look to get


back to winning ways on Saturday, when Baxenden visit Church Meadow. ~ They follow th a t up #


with a trip to the Apple- gar th to face Earby, ^ against a team still in the ^ I hunt for their first victory. ^ All matches are sched- uled to start at 2 p.m.


9770963365096 9 77096311365096 18 4


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45