MARK Butler needs some lucky sevens to help lead his side to the Ribblesdale League championship.

Cherry Tree are currently in second place in the table, with four wins and no defeats from the opening seven games of the season - but they have still yet to take a maximum seven-point haul from any of them.

Captain Butler said: "We are doing really well but the only disappointing aspect is we haven't got seven points, we have taken five from all our wins.

"We are up with the leaders but it would be better if could take seven rather than five.

"We are good at knocking over the top order of teams to get to the middle order, but the bowlers are not taking the tail out.

"If we could get sides out rather than just restricting them to eight or nine then we'd have more maximum points."

This is exactly what happened over the weekend when Cherry Tree recorded a double header of victories to send them second in the table.

But the wins over Whalley on Saturday and Blackburn Northern on Sunday were still convincing enough to leave Butler confident his bowlers will soon be able to finish teams off.

He said: "It will come. The wickets will get harder and then the pace men will go to town.

"We've been hampered by the soft wickets and the weather, but so has every team so the important thing at the moment is every game we've played, we've won."

Pro Mohammad Naeem Ashraf hit two unbeaten half-centuries over the weekend, but Butler is also enthusing about the performances of all his squad.

Having played in the side that won the championship in 2001, he knows that everyone is a key element in a successful side.

Butler said: "Ashraf has made three 50s for us but he's been supported well by the whole side.

"Gary Bolton has been a key performer and Mr Consistent for us. Him and Nigel Robbins are two key players.

"We have been consistent for the last six or seven years. We now how to win and are used to it.

"It becomes a habit and when we lose we don't like it because that can become a habit as well.

"The team that wins the league is always the one that is the most consistent over a number of games and at the moment we're doing okay.

"We're in touching distance of the leading sides, which is fine because at this stage you don't necessarily want to be leading the pack."

Cherry Tree's cause was helped on Saturday by Edenfield, who's pro Ian Maxwell hit 75 in condemning leaders Settle to their first defeat of the campaign.

But Settle stayed top a day later when they beat Whalley by six wickets.

As well as the high scores of Ashraf and Maxwell, other professionals in the league also made a major impact, including Read's Peter Sleep against Padiham.

He scored 93 with the bat and then took five wickets for 53 runs as the champions went level on points with Cherry Tree.

Shahid Nawaz hit an undefeated century as Ribblesadle Wanders saw off Clitheroe, for whom new professional Mark Gillespie top scored on 47.

Baxenden pro Jonathan Harvey made 107 not out as his team spoilt Edenfield's weekend with a 74-run win.

Another Aussie in fluent mode was Andrew Crook, smashing 89 off 105 balls as Great Harwood destroyed Oswaldtwistle Immanuel.