THEY may be joint top of the EW Cartons Lancashire League but Billy Stelling reckons his East Lancashire side are still under achieving.

The giant South African is disappointed by the way the Alexandra Meadows side have started the league - despite only losing twice.

He said: "We may be joint top of the league but we should be well clear by now. Looking at the table it looks good but we are only five points clear of the team fourth from bottom. I'm not happy with the team's form or my own - it's been very inconsistent."

Stelling, in his second season with East Lancs, reckons the tag of title favourites is proving to be a burden for the side - although he is confident that last year's runners up can go one step better this year.

"We are still capable and confident of winning the league but the tag of favourites isn't really helping us."

East Lancs get a chance to avenge one of their two defeats when they take on Church in the rearranged Jenning Worsley Cup clash on Saturday before travelling to last season's champions Rishton on Sunday.

But the Boland bomber, who enjoyed a successful season last year taking 75 wickets and scoring 589 runs, reckons it is not only the opponents they have to beat, claiming the wickets have been in a dreadful state.

He added: "The wickets were in a pretty bad state last season but I have never known them so bad and they have severely disrupted our style of play."

Fixtures: Saturday, Jennings Worsley Cup: Bacup v Todmorden, Burnley v Rawtenstall, Church v East Lancs, Haslingden v Colne, Lowerhouse v Enfield, Ramsbottom v Accrington. Byes to Nelson and Rishton. Sunday, Burnley v Nelson, Church v Accrington, Colne v Lowerhouse, East Lancs v Rishton, Enfield v Todmorden, Ramsbottom v Haslingden, Rawtenstall v Bacup.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.