DOUBLE-CHASING Church aim to keep proving the doubters wrong by beating Todmorden tomorrow and reaching the final of the Worsley Cup.

The Blackburn Road club are top of the Transco Lancashire League and into the last four of the cup competition they last won in 1974.

And skipper Mark Aspin is thriving on the underdog status.

"Everybody's waiting for the balloon to burst. Nobody expects Church to be up there.

"We've just got to keep winning and that's what's driving us on," said Aspin, whose side has lost just four times this season.

"Thirteen clubs would swap with me, even Nelson who are out of the cup. But you don't win anything in June, only respect and I'd like to think we've got a bit of respect," he added.

Church comfortably beat Todmorden in May when professional Mike Watkinson scored 90 and took four wickets. Aspin's men may therefore start as favourites, despite the threat posed by Dan Marsh and Richard Baigent, but the captain insisted he would have happily faced any of the semi-finalists, with Haslingden and East Lancashire meeting in the other game.

He said: "We are confident about every game we play. We beat Todmorden in the league earlier this season, although that's no guarantee of anything.

"They are very good side and I'm surprised that they aren't higher in the table.

"We have beaten all of them this year so we weren't bothered really." Even though Watkinson always looked a good signing, Church, who are at home tomorrow, have been the surprise package so far this season.

Aspin might not take that view, however, having witnessed an upturn in fortunes last summer.

"This started last year," he insisted.

"We won seven out of the last 11 and won five in a row but that wasn't noticed.

"This time last year we were bottom of the table and finished fifth from the bottom."

Lancashire and England all-rounder Ian Austin again returns to former club Haslingden as substitute professional to spearhead their push for a place in the final.

The 1997 winners take on last season's runners-up East Lancs at Bent Gate hoping to avenge last weekend's league defeat.

On Monday, Haslingden play host to the Lancashire Cricket Board's 38-county cup game against Durham CB.

Home player Graham Knowles and Burnley's James Anderson will be in the LCB side for the 50 overs-a-side game that starts at 11am. There is no admission charge.