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-i 62 Clitheroe Advertiser &Times, Thursday, April 14th, 2005


Blues earn away point


Warrington T ow n ___ 1 Clitheroe : ................... ,1 THIS - draw means Clitheroe have failed to register a win against the sides the Blues beat to the North West Counties First


• Division title - but it was another away point towards securing their UniBond League status. Not one victory has


been recorded against Clitheroe’s fellow promot­ ed sides after three defeats against Mossley, and now three draws and a defeat out of their games against Woodley Sports and War­ rington Town. The Blues have strug­


If r


gled in front of goal of late, and they came up against a side who suffered from similar stage fright when the goal beckons. Neither side really


played much football, and a strong wind didn’t help matters, but Clitheroe should have had more than a Paul Crompton penalty to show for their efforts, as Gary Jackson


V . I? .


Sv (• fciT


had the ball in the back of the net, only to have it dis-


■ allowed for the narrowest of off-side decisions. But in fairness, looking at


the full-strength side Paul Byron had at his disposal, Clitheroe should have taken Warrington apart. Aside from Jackson’s


effort, very little goal mouth action was seen in the first half, with Cromp­ ton flashing a free kick mde, and Warrington hit­ ting the bar from distance being the highlights. The second half proved


little better as both sides seemed lacking, Adam Roscoe had a rasping shot saved from distance, but it wasn’t until substitute Craig Sargeson came on and won a penalty that Clitheroe looked like getting anything out of this game. But as soon as Cromp­


ton had successfully con­ verted the spot kick, awarded after Sargeson was pushed in the box, then Clitheroe gifted War­ rington a weak equaliser


three minutes later. From a corner, Danny


Woodhead came out to punch the ball, only to get nowhere near it, and while he was on the floor and the Blues defence missed the clearance, Warrington’s Stephen Latham was on hand to rifle the ball into an empty net. The remaining 18 min­


utes proved to be a combi­ nation of hopeful long balls from either side as both Clitheroe and War­ rington seemed happy with a point, when really only victory and three valuable points would have done for both War­ rington and Clitheroe fans. alike, with both teams still in danger of the drop. Thankfully Warring­


ton’s 1-0 defeat to Woodley Sports on Tuesday night keeps them between the Blues and the relegation zone, and it is just hoped that their season, Spalding United’s, Chorley or Rossendale’s, continues to be more underwhelming than Clitheroe’s.


Goal blast earns promotion


WFC Clitheroe..............6 Skipton LMS Reserves .0 HASLAM netted a hat- trick as WFC Clitheroe


■


secured promotion to the Craven and District Pre­ mier Division in fine style. However, it could have


been so dif ferent, had keep­ er Proctor pull off a fine penalty save after only nine ' minutes.', Withiii a minutes the


locals were ahead, a lead they kept until the interval. But a five goal blast in


the second half secured pro­ motion, with Kemp and Hardcastrle completing the scoring. Players are asked to meet


VS':-


at Roefield at 1-30 p.m. for the final home game of the season against Horton. Wadding Ton . . . . . . . . . 3 Crosshills . . . . . . . -------2 T A B L E -T O P P E R S Waddington came back from two goals down to earn three points against promotion rivals CrosshiUs. Throughout the first


half, both teams struggled to put passes together on a uneven surface. Waddington fell behind


on 37 minutes as the Crosshills forward found himself goal side of his marker after the locals failed to clear their lines. . Fletcher and Fagan both.


shot wide as Waddington pushed for an equaliser, iand a goalmouth scramble in the Crosshills box saw Fletcher blast against the bar.


Crosshills grabbed their


second just minutes before the break, but the hosts were soon in control of the second half. From a corner, Fletcher


curled the ball with pace straight into the goal past a flapping keeper before the keeper failed to punch clear from another corner and Cane capitalised with the equaliser. Jonathan Dugdale and


Dean were then introduced, and it was the latter who beat the offside trap and fired past the keeper in a one on one attempt. Hellifield ....................3 Waddinglon. . . . . . . . . . 3 WADDINGTON came away with a point from this one despite a poor perform­ ance.; Playing with the wind


behind them, the locals found themselves behind early on, but goals from Peter Fletcher and a fine strike from Jonathan Dug- dale saw Waddington move in front. They then should have


had two or three more goals before the break to put the game out of reach, but Hel­ lifield held firm at the back. After the break, the


home side hit Waddington hard and quickly forced an equaliser. Hellifield then took the


lead, and looked the likely winners until Simon Cun- liffe scored with a header to level matters. .Waddington entertain


Embsay on Saturday (kick­ off 2 p.m.) and all players


are to meet at 12-45 p.m. at 'Twitter Lane. They then travel to


Rolls-Royce on Monday (kick-off 6-15 p.m.) and all players are to meet at 5 p.m. at the Waddington Arms. Waddinglon Reserves .. .3 Rolls-Royce Reserves . .2 WADDINGTON repeated their cup semi-final win over Rolls to give them­ selves a chance of promo­ tion. By closing the gap on


Rolls, they will now look to win their final game next Thursday against Carleton at Roefield, and hope their West Craven rivals drop four points in thieir remain-


' ing fixtures to seal Craven League Second Division football. But to earn their 13th


win of the season, the locals had to come back from 2-0 down. . •After the break, man of


the match Mark Harrison found Steven Holden, and he fired home with his unfavoured left foot to make it 2-1. Shortly after, from a cor­


ner, Boyd was fouled in the box and leading scorer Sam Dean equalised from the spot with his 28th of the season. Waddington had their


tails up, and when a cross reached centre back Brett Tattersall at the far post, his spectacular diving head­ er flew in to hand the vil­ lagers the lead.


CLITHEROE Wolves Under 13s (s)


Wolves hit eight to end long wait


Langho Juniors. . . . . . .1 Wolves Under 13s Blue .8 THIS rearranged fixture saw the Wolves record their first competitive league victory for over two sea­ sons against a spirited Langho tearh. The first goal was con­


verted by Ryan, after some good play by Whitwell and. Darnell, and the second fol­ lowed soon after with Edmundson tapping in at the far post to make it the first time this season that they have scored more than one goal in a league game. The home team then had


a sustained period of pres­ sure from which they were unlucky not to pull a goal back, thanks to some good saves from Kelly and last- ditch tackles from the impressive back four of Phillip, Stinson, Pye and Haig. On the break. Wolves -


scored their third goal as Whitwell's through ball fell for Edmundson, who drove the ball home to take the Wolves in at half-time with a well-deserved lead. The second half started


with both teams playing some good passing football, and the deadlock was bro­ ken when a ball fell to a Langho player in the box, who calmly slotted under the sprawling Kelly to bring the home team back into the match. This was short-lived, however, as Ryan scrambled home at the far post, and soon after powered home yet again at the back stick to complete his hat-trick. , Referee’s man-of-the-


match Kelly then made a top-class save from a well- struck shot outside the box, tipping over the bar for a corner which was dealt with by the defence. Stin­ son then drove a loose ball from outside the area into the bottom corner for the goal of . the season, and he followed up by converting a penalty after Phillip was brought down in the area. The day was then


topped off when substitute Entwistle played a ball through for man-of-the- match Ryan, who chipped


the ball over the Langho keeper to complete a well- deserved first victory.


, Brierfield Celtic Blue . .1 Wolves Under 12s ........3 ON a heavy pitch, the Wolves made hard work of beating ' Warburtons League opponents Brier- field Celtic Blue. In a poor first half, the


only bright moments were provided by two excellent individual goals. The first from Clarkson’saw the striker advance at pace down the right wing and beat the keeper with a low shot from inside the penal­ ty box. The second was scored


by Meyler after he won the ball in midfield and beat several defenders before putting the ball mde of the keeper. Several changes at half­


time failed to improve the overall performance, with little attempt being made to pass the ball along the ground to team members. So it was little surprise when Brierfield scored after reacting quicker to a ball that rebounded off the cross bar. A two goal cushion was


restored, however, when Hopkins pounced on a poor defensive clearance from a corner kick. With the re- introduction of man-of- the-match Thompson and Hutchins, some better foot­ ball was played, which should have been the level of performance throughout the whole game. Wolves Under 16s ........0


■ Whalleg................... .3 WOLVES turned in their worst first half perform­ ance of the season in this local derby. Skipper James Scriven


made numerous first half saves to keep Wolves in the hunt, but could do nothing to stop the Whal- ley opener.


Manager Mick Scriven


did not mince his words at' half-time and the team responded well. 'The introduction of Ollie


Dilworth and Tom Gatens added some bite to mid- field, and Whalley strug­ gled until a counter-attack


provided the cushion of a second goal.


. Dean Gudgeon and


Simon Worthington worked hard at the heart of the Wolves defence, and with 20 minutes to go, the Wolves manager gambled and exchanged a centre half for keeper. This move almost came


off as James Scriven almost turned the game for Wolves, until Whalley exploited the inexperience of Gudgeon to slot home their third and decisive goal. Wolves Under 16s ........1 Akzo .................. ......... 3 CUP finalists Akzo expect­ ed an easy game, and again some dogged defending by Wolves denied them for 20 minutes, but they eventu­ ally succumbed. Kino’s presence at the


heart of the Wolves defence made a massive difference, and some fine saves from the in-Torm James Scriven kept honours even for 20 minutes. Wolves did not deserve to go behind when an unfortunate ricochet left the Akzo forward with time to slot the ball home. Akzo then scored a sec­


ond, and it looked curtains for the Clitheroe side. However, Wolves carried


the fight to Akzo and were. rewarded when Dean Gud­ geon won the ball in the opposition penalty area tor Anthony Gawthorpeto strike a sweet 18-yard vol­ ley inside the far post. Wolves pressed hard, and


again the introduction of the industrious Ollie Dil­ worth caused problems tor Akzo. Diiworth’s brother Danny almost levelled the scores with a super volley that went inches wide, and replacement centre forward Dean Gudgeon worked hard and was unlucky not to equalise with a stunning right foot shot. ■ Wolves were then caught


playing the off-side trap and Akzo secured the game


with an easy third goal. A much better battling per­ formance from Wolves, but chances need to be taken in the final games of the sea­ son.


www.clitheroetoday.co.uk Clitheroe 422324 (Editorial), 422323 (Advertising), ^ rn le y 422331 (Classifi^) ^


United lift+ title with ® four-goal * victory


READSTONE United Under 13s were crowned Accrington League champi- ons following an emphatic 4- 1 victory over Rishton.


Goals came from Andy


Ledgar and a hat-trick ® from man-of-the-match Thomas Halliwell. All the players deserve ja


praise for their efforts this season, and a special men­ tion goes'to the manage­ ment team of Fred Uttley and Tony Haworth for their ongoing enthusiasm. Further excellent victo­


ries came from the Under 8s and the Under 14 Girls. The former enjoyed a


resounding 6-1 win over Barnoldswick . Barons, thanks to goals from Adam Hayes and Denzyl Yates, both with two apiece, plus two more from Daniel Nuttall and Aidan Radcliffe. Toby Uttley-Muldoon


was named man-of-the- match. And thanks largely to


Louise Meloy’s five goals against Wyre Juniors, the Under 14 Girls beat their coastal rivals 8-0. Further goals came from


Chelsea Rinaldi (2) and A Melissa McKay. However, not all the


week’s results went Read- stone’s way, as the Under ^ 13s lost 2-1 to Fulledge Colts.


, ' The locals scored early


in the first half through Tom Morley, but they con­ ceded two goals in the last five minutek Josh Ramsey was named man-of-the- match. And the Under 14s


endured a disappointing performance as they were beaten 3-0 by Rossendale ■Valley. James Dalby was


. named man-of-the-match. Whalley Under 12s . . . .0 Lammack Juniors . . . .6 IN a game that wais more even than the scoreline suggested, Whalley went down to a well-organised and, on the day, more skil­ ful Lainmack team. In an even first half, the


game was end to end, but ^ neither side looked capable of a goal until late in the half when a defensive error S allowed Lammack to take O the lead. Whalley began the sec- ^


ond half with the now reg- ^ ular loss of concentration, A


allowing the visitor's to ” increase their lead to 4-0 \vithin 10 minutes. Once well ahead, Larn-. ,


mack dominated for a peri- od and scored two further Q goals.


^ Full credit to Whalley, ^


. ee’s man-of-the-match,' and he was ably supported ■ by Ewan Reid and David , ■Astley, who all worked tire- "T ] lessly for the team.


in the last 10 minutes they pushed forward and were ( desperately unlucky not to score on two or three occa-1 sions. Sam Cross was the refer-


W


THE Ribble 'Valley Six-a-side indoor cricket league reached a climax when Read were named champions of the Under 13s competition. Five teams entered the contest, and


Ribblesdale and Longridge finished


joint second in the league, but'because the Wanderers narrowly defeated Longridge, they earned the right to face Read in the final and ultimately finish runners-up.


Lytham........ ..............29' Clitheroe . . . . . . . . . . . 7 CLITHEROE brought their league programme to a close with a disappoint­ ing defeat at nearest league rivals Lytham. A comfortable fifth spot


is a satisfying enough way to end the season, but there is still a feeling that they let games slip away that could have seen the Littlemoor men challeng­ ing for promotion.. However,' this was defi­


Read triumph in closely-fought final The final proved a closely-fought affair


which Read won by just nine runs. The winners of this competition and


Read won all four of their league games against Clitheroe, Longridge, Ribblesdale Wanderers and Whalley.


the other two finals, that saw Longridge mn the Under 15s and Clitheroe crowned Under 11s champions, will now partici­ pate in the Inter-District Competitions at Blackburn alongside seven other district champions from East and Central Lan­ cashire. Read are pictured with their trophies,


donated by the Ribble Valley Cricket Forum, (s)


Final game ends in disappointment


Clitheroe scoring all their points in an action-packed first half, and Carnforth scoring all their points in the second period. From the whistle the


nitely a game of two halves. The one where Clitheroe played at their very best was the 20 min­ utes before half-time, and the 20 minutes after. I t was in this period


Littlemoor forwards hit top gear at windswept Carnforth, adopting an agressive rucking game. ' Relentless waves of Clitheroe pressure finally paid dividends as Ron Higson scored from close range, with Bill Thatcher converting. Recent find Anthony


Kingslake showed his dev­ astating pace from full back, crashing over for the next try under the sticks. Clitheroe capitalised


th a t the pack took the game to the Fylde-based outfit, and they had no answer to the Maroon and Golds’ loose driving play. Some top-class support from props, second rowers and loose forwards was a delight to see, and it was only fitting that prop Ben Graves was the scorer of Clitheroe’s only try, ably converted by Nathan Peel. Unfortunately, Clitheroe


had shipped two tries in the first 10 ihinutes. But after they scored,


the game was close at 12-'7 to Lytham until the final 15 minutes, when, maybe, Clitheroe tired and ' Lytham suddenly decided at last to use their classy backs to run in three more: and give Clitheroe a lesson in finishing, in so doing avenging their early season defeat at the hands of the town team. On Saturday Clitheroe


are at home to Littlebor-- ough (kick-off 3 p.m.). Carnforth ................... 29 Clitheroe Cavaliers . .19 THIS certainly was a game of two halves, with


further with prop Mark Curphy driving through would-be tacklers to add another try, with Thatch­ er converting. ■With the wind against


them in the second half, Clitheroe were dealt an early blow when James McAloon had to leave the field with a cut. The side lost its shape


and Camforth piled on the pressure as Clitheroe ran


out of steam. Carnforth breached the


whitewash on three occas- sions, and converted two, making the scores equal. A loss of discipline from


Kirkby Lonsdale Vels 20 Cliheroe Veterans . . . .0 A MOTLEY bunch turned out tor Clitheroe in the annual fixture at Kirk-. by Lonsdale. The hosts’ hospitality


was, as usual, superb and a tough game, won by Kirby, shows there is life in a few old dogs yet. The opposition, playing


with an extra man, app^r^ more fresh-faced, and it seemed obvious that they were still regular players. ' Kirkby’s organisation


told'in the first half, but with a few positional changes in the second, Clitheroe gave a good account, albeit without scoring. The challenge to both


sides is to mix and match experience and youth in similar measure, as last year the same fixture was a complete reversal of Sun­ day’s result. Clilheroe Under 15s . . .7 Kirkby Lonsdale . ...35 CLITHEROE should take heart from this game, as they possess a few players who have the potential to go onto greater things. Games of this nature are


the Clitheroe for\yards saw them involved in minor skirmishes around the rucks and penalties were


conceded. To add further misery


on the Maroon and Golds, two further tries were leaked, but it could have been more had it not been for some excellent last- ditch tackling. A tough next fixture


has the Cavaliers on the road again for the last time this season at Little- borough.


won on the training pitch, and this is Clitheroe’s problem. With very spo­ radic attendance, it is not possible to match a team \vith Kirkby’s ability and technique. The handful of players


who do attend training can be very proud of their con­ tribution and leadership on the day. There is coaching for


mini and junior age groups on Sundays during the sea­ son at Clitheroe Rugby Club at 10.15 a.m. Details and contacts can


be found on the website, or by contacting Declan O’Duffy (01200 428292).


ja


Clitheroe 422324 (Editorial), 422323 (Advertising), Burnley 422331 (Classified) jiV,


. j www.clitheroetoday.co^uk Clitheroe Advertiser &Times, Thursday, April 14th, 2005 63 'D ' n


Record-breaker switches camps


By Adrian Capstick


THE cricket season is upon us. The ■Veka Ribblesdale League gets under­ way on Saturday, and Ribble 'Valley teams can’t wait to see the 21-week campaign commence at Chatburn Road, Station Road, Whalley Road and Church Meadow. Clitheroe have enticed long-stand­


ing Ribblesdale Wanderers profes­ sional, and record breaking batsman. Shahid Nawaz across town to be their paid man for the 2005 season. He will be joined by fellow bats­


man Naeem Ashraf, acting as an amateur this year, who in the 2003 season was captain at Cherry Tree, finishing sixth leading batsman in the league with an average of 48.33. Neil Bolton is again captain, and


after last season ended under contro­ versial circumstances, amid claims of ball tampering, he can’t wait to set the record straight this year, starting a t home to last season’s wooden spoonists Whalley. He said: “There has been some


banter with Ribblesdale about Shahid joining us. I don’t think they would have been too bothered if he had gone anywhere else but Clitheroe, but he’s looking forward to the challenge and we can’t wait for the Ribblesdale game. “Nawaz will soak up the pressure


and Ashraf is a fantastic bonus as he will open the bowling for us and can bat any^vhere in the order.” He added: “We have fairly young


side and we’re hoping that Nawaz will a be good influence on them as he is vocal in the dressing room and everyone listens to what he has to say. I believe we are in with a good chance of silverware this year.” Just where Nawaz’s departure left


Ribblesdale Wanderers had been an uncertainty until recently. But the side believe they have found a wor­


B ACCRINGTON hus­ band and wife Ray and Elsie Haworth won the Derek Lord Memorial Mixed Doubles Bowling tournament at Whalley BC. Despite some indiffer­


ent weather conditions, the event proved yet again to be a huge success. Attracting bowlers


from as far afield as Merseyside and West Yorkshire, the Haworths emerged as the eventual winners, beating last year’s champions 'Vin­ cent O’Donnell and Eileen Pye of Blackburn in the final. Losing semi-finalists


were Chorley couple Dorothy Howard and Keith Hilton, and Eileen and Graham Glover from Merseyside.


thy replacement in 23-year-old South African Gerard Debruin, a leading quick bowler from the UCB Pro'vincial League. How good he is with a bat is


unknown, but he has full coaching honours and his averages suggest he will bring bowling success to the club. But he will miss at least the first


game of the season due to his com­ mitments to a 20/20 squad in his home country, so ex-Clitheroe paid man Jonathan Fielding is expected to sub-pro tor their opening game at Earby. Changes have also been made


regarding the captaincy, as Martin Briggs steps in for stalwart Terry Braithwaite, looking to improve on last season and, more importantly, qualify tor the Lancashire Cup. He said: “We have lacked penetra­


tion in the past, but will look to our game this year with a bigger onus on the younger players in the side such as Robert Lloyd and Ryan Gladwin. “We’re a young side, and if we can


match the bowling with some good batting, then I believe we will be able to hold our own to finish mid-table and above. ‘•‘Our biggest aim is to qualify for


the Lancashire Cup as I think the league will be decided between Read, Clitheroe, Great Harwood and Set­ tle, while we need to be more consis­ tent.” On Nawaz, he \vished the Ribbles­


dale record-holding batsman well: “What Shahid has done tor Ribbles­ dale over the years will be remem­ bered for a long time. “Everyone at the club has a lot of


respect for him and I don’t thing we’ll see the record broken for a very long time. There has been some cajoling between the two clubs, I just hope that we have seen the best from him!”


Apart from the new pro joining


the ranks, the side are largely the same apart from Craig Hall drop­ ping out due to work commitments, and wicket keeper and opening bats­ man Martin Peel only being able to play every other week. Meanwhile, champions Read will


be going in search of an unprece­ dented league record with a fourth successive league title, starting on Saturday at Oswaldtwistle Immanuel. The Whalley Road outfit lifted


their third title in a row last season, a feat jointly shared with Whalley and ex-league side Blackpool, after tak­ ing the honours from Settle by six points on the last day. However, they will have to do it


without Peter Sleep who has rejoined Rishton to play in the Lan­ cashire League, but 'Warren East- ham retains control as captain, while the services of Kenyan professional Thomas Odoyo have been sought to replace the outgoing Danny Law. The 26-year-old paid man is a right


hand batsman and right arm medi­ um fast bowler who has earned the nickname “The Black Botham”, having returned an average of 37.72 mth the ball and 21.41 with the bat from Kenyan one-day internationals. And finally at Station Road,


Whalley start afresh looking to ban­ ish last season’s miserable finish to the record books, as new professional Phil Thornton joins the side from Morecambe, and Martin Davies takes over as captain, looking to overhaul last season’s woeful tally of 22 defeats from 26 games. Thornton is a hard-hitting top-


order batsman who has played all his senior cricket for Morecambe in the Northern League, and going off rep­ utation, he should certainly make the locals no push over at the crease.


Jacqui’s double


Clilheroe Ladies......... 3 Blackpool Ladies........ 1 CLITHEROE, knowing they could no longer gain promotion, went into this game with no pressure, and this showed in their performance. This game was used to


try and put into practice skills and moves worked on in training. Clitheroe went ahead


after a tew minutes after Jacqui .Ashley scored from a tew yards out. And they went further


ahead after Rachel Walm- sley scored froni the penal­ ty spot. ‘ Blackpool’s young team


played good hockey throughout the game, and


.Golf’ selected teams and more' SPORTS EXTRA


were determined to not to give up, and were reward­ ed when they scored just before half-time. However, Clitheroe


quickly increased their advantage when Ashley scored Clitheroe’s third and her second of the game. The second half was


very evenly-fought, with both team’s defences stay­ ing strong and keeping clean sheets. The team would like to


thank Moore and Smalley Chartered Accountants and Business Advisors of Preston and Blackpool, for their generosity and sup­ port in sponsoring the match ball. The next game is a t


home to Preston Ladies on April 23rd. Anyone interested in


joining the club should come to training, held from . 7-8 p.m. on a Wednesday night at Roe­ field Leisure Centre, or call Hannah Laverty on 07855 337708._____ _


..


Whalley ready


for new season


AFTER one of the most successful seasons in their history, there is a sense of anticipation at Whalley Tennis Club ahead of the new campaign. The A team finished


third in the East Lan­ cashire Open League First Di'vision, while the B team consolidated their position in the Second Division, and were joined by the C


team, who woii promotion. The mixed team are


defending champions, and a B team has been added.


The ladies’ team also


had a fine season, finishing third. New members are wel­


come, whether wishing to play for club teams or enjoy a sociable game. Team nights are on Mon­ days, while Thursdays are club nights, when the accent is on a relaxed game.


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