- f 48 Clltheroe Advertiser &Times, Thursday, April 10th, 2008 www.clitheroeadvertiser.co.uk Clitheroe 422324 (Editorial), 422323 (Advertising), Burnl^ ^331_(ClMsified) 1" fel itarvtasv^; ■'••■'■•.■'Tsaxatl


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lues boss sets one last goal!


'1.^ By Adrian Capstick


EVERYTHING has clicked into place for Clitheroe boss Neil Reynolds - but unfortu­ nately at the \vrong end of the season to make a real differ­


ence. The Blues picked up their


fourth straight away win with a 3-2 victory over Chorley on Tues­ day night, follotving a stupendous 5-3 result over Skelmersdale on Saturday that mathematically guaranteed their UniBond League status. . He now rates his side as a poten­


tial top six club, and on the recent results they’ve had, many would agree. Pride and planning for next sea­


son is largely what the last three games of the season will be about, but the Clitheroe co-manager has one last target he’d like to see the side strive for. He said: “It would be better than


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Christmas Day if we could finish above Rossendale United, it’s noth­ ing personal against their manager Derek Egan as I get on well with him, but as a marker to our season it would show how far we’ve come in the last couple of months. “They’ve had the results this sea­


son over us, but it’s still possible for us to finish as the top club in East Lancashire.” Saturday sees Newcastle Blue Star the visitors to Shawbridge, a


mid-table side two points better off than the Blues, but having volun­ tarily asked to drop out of the Uni- Bond League due to travelling costs. Under a different manager they


humbled Clitheroe at their place back in September, but a lot has changed since then. Reynolds said: “Newcastle Blue


Star are coming to us not worried about nex't season, as just like a rel­ egated team, they are free to enjoy their football. “Win, lose or draw though, we


won’t roll over and die. We’ve come a long way since September. We’re on a high, on our own patch and everything looks to have now clicked into place.” Saturday’s win over Skelmers­


dale felt especially good tor the Blues boss, after some choice com­ ments were made the last time the two teams met. “It was pure sweet revenge,” said


Reynolds. “A lot of nasty things were said about our players before the game, some truly disgusting comments, and I was just glad to shove those comments down their throats. “I wasn’t happy about what


their chairman said about Russ Clarke the last time we played them, or what Tommy Lawson said about us being a side that relies on brute strength. “Looking at the two games we’ve


played against them, if you were asked which was the better side, then you’d probably say them.


what \vith them being at the top of the league, but, judging on what I’ve seen, we’ve progressed the fur­ thest in that short space of time.” And Tuesday at Chorley proved


they can win even when they’re not at their best. Reynolds added: “We ground


out a result and that’s what mat­ ters. “I’ve been saying to them all sea­


son th a t it could be the 20th minute or the 90th when you get that opportunity, you’ve got to bide your time, be patient and then take it, and Paul Osborne took it. It’s nice to have the roles reversed for once. “There’s now an understanding


between the players, they’re getting to know one another well. Craig Sargeson and Scott Redhead are over lapping and bringing us new options on the left that we’ve not had before. “Every goal is like a wonder


strike, whether that’s confidence for you, or the fact we’ve got a lot of highly gifted players, I’ve got to think it’s the latter.” Jonathan Smith will be available


for Saturday’s game following his one-game ban against Chorley, but Ryan Fisher is out for the season following a knee injury sustained at Skelmersdale. • Blackburn Rovers Ladies are


in Premier League action against Chelsea Ladies at Shawbridge on Sunday, kick-off 1 p.m.


Late strike earns victory


Chorley........................2 ClUheroe ................... 3 PAUL Osborne earned Clitheroe their fourth successive away mn with a last-gasp clincher at Chorley on Tuesday night. A Carl Lomax double


saw the Blues level at half-time, after an enter­ taining first half saw chances missed and con­ verted in equal measure. But a disjointed second


half failed to live up to the opening 45 minutes, until Osborne struck gold with a 90th minute mis­ sile that flashed in-off the har.


Second half substitute


Jason Jones weaved the ball out wide to draw space for Gary Stopforth to thread through and find Anthony Johnson, who in turn teed up Osborne for a peach of a shot. Lomax's efforts were


far from shabby either, full of confidence and struck with vigour past a helpless Peter Collinge. The Clitheroe captain's


first goal levelled the scores after Chorley had taken a 10th minute lead through Cabbar Bagdagi, Lomax powering home a real striker's goal having beaten the off-side trap


and been quickest to the ball. And his second gave


the visitors the lead on 38 minutes with an equally unflinching strike, when a Stopforth corner was nodded on to him at the back post by Osborne. Chorley's opener was


aided by a deceptive bounce on a poor service from a Daniel Pilkington cross, but the quality of their second strike was unquestionable. A screaming equaliser


was delivered by Mike Eckersley with the out­ side of the forward's right boot, soaring across a full-stretch James Mann


and finding the top cor­ ner.


Earlier, Craig Sargeson


went close to netting his fourth goal in three games when he smashed a close-range strike against the upright, which was matched by Pilkington at the other end with an 18- yard effort against the foot of the post. The second half saw


very little clear-cut action by comparison, even a triple Clitheroe substitu­ tion failed to make much of an impression until the final few moments of the game - but when it mat­ tered the most, Clitheroe made it count.


m Legion march to title


CLITHEROE Legion A are pictured with their B team before beating them 7-2 in the final of the Clitheroe Pool League Thwaites Challenge Cup held at the Station Hotel last Thursday. (A050408/6)


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WHALLEY have announced


Indian


Rajagopal Sathish as their professional for the 2008 Ribblesdale Cricket League season. The 27-year-old right-


hand batsman, who also bowls, replaces fellow countryman Jagadeesh Arunkumar, who was lined up as Station Road paid man before electing to take part in the inaugural sea­ son of the lucrative Indian Premier League. Sathish played first class


cricket for Tamil Nadu and Assam, for whom he averaged 37 runs in all games. He joined the Indian


Cricket League when it was formed a t the back end of last year, which runs parallel to the BCCI, and helped Chennai Superstars to victory in the final of the Twenty/20 Indian Championship, being named man-of-the-match


m m Rajagopal Salhish


in the semi final. He went on to captain


the side in the ICL 50 overs tournament, which they also won. And he remained skip­


per in the early games of the current competition, due to Stuart Law being \vith Lancashire in Dubai. Last Friday he hit 86 off


42 balls in the third/fourth place play-off to beat Kolkata Tigers by 32 runs. Law has given him a


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ENGLAND and Wales Cricket Board chairman Jack Simmons is joined by Lancashire Cricket


Board director Andy Hay- hurst, Nick Brown and


Whalley chairman David Westwood at the NalWesi Cricket Force clean up


held at Station Road over the weekend. (A050408/7)


Whalley get their man


glowing reference to Whal­ ley as a “keen, eager, dedi­ cated, quality fielder, who hits the ball hard and will be a useful league bowler once he adapts to the cli­ mate and conditions”. Whalley’s first XI cap­


tain for the new season will be Richard Palmer, with Neil Cordingley as vice- captain. Second team captain


will be Ted Topham, with Ian Grace as vice, and third team skipper is Steve Laycock Whalley have a friendly


at Bolton League side Greenmount on Saturday. England and Wales


Cricket Board Chairman Jack Simmons dropped in on Whalley with LCB Director Andy Hayhursl on Saturday, to get the his­ toric home of the first Lan- cashire/Yorkshire Roses match ready for the new season.


§


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