UNSWORTH Cricket Club are facing a race against time to get their new ground ready in time for the start of the Central Lancashire League cricket season.

The Pole Lane outfit are due to take on Ashton at home on April 21, and with work still going on on the square and outfield and new buildings still going up, club President Mr Reg Joynson says: "The firm that are working on the ground aren't due to hand it over to us until the end of March, so we are keeping our fingers crossed that everything will be ready in time."

Unsworth's former ground, 40 yards away in Parr Lane, was sold to developers and now has houses and roads on it, so if the new ground isn't ready in time, Unsworth have nowhere else to go.

"We are just hoping the league will look kindly on us, if that is the case, and maybe allow us to play our first few fixtures away from home," said Mr Joynson.

"A similar situation occurred at Rochdale when they moved to a new ground a few years ago.

"But we are hoping to be playing on our new ground come the start of the season, although it will be tight.

"The weather has been horrible. There was a pool on the outfield, but that has been drained and now we are waiting to go ahead with seeding and turfing early in the Spring.

"The framework of the new buildings, the pavilion, dressing rooms and the rest, is going up. That should be finished this weekend.

"Then we will be putting winter feed on the square. We are just hoping to get some dry weather towards the end of February and March because the square will need a lot of rolling -- and you can't do that if it's wet or frozen.

"Even in perfect conditions, it's a new wicket and it won't settle down immediately. If this was Old Trafford they wouldn't play on it for a year, but we haven't got that luxury," added Mr Joynson.