WHALLEY go into the weekend's "double-header" in the Vaux Ribblesdale Cricket League bottom of the table and still seeking their first point, writes PETER WHITE.

But professional Mark Fallon is confident that the club will soon be looking up in a different way.

"I know it's an old cliche when you come off after a defeat and say that if we had only got another 20 runs, or if we had not dropped that catch it would have been different," he said.

"But I really do think we are not far off doing much better.

"We have got four or five batsmen who, potentially, are capable of scoring a lot of runs. But we haven't been doing that so far.

"We have also missed a few players in the opening games.

"But I am anything but despondent. There's only one way for us to go."

Defeat by Baxenden in the Ramsbottom Cup added to the early-season disappointments at Station Road.

But Fallon, back at the club where he played as an amateur, firmly believes the future can be bright.

"It's been great for me, going back to my old club, and I am looking forward to batting and bowling on harder wickets as the summer goes on. The Whalley track has a good reputation.

"The main target at the start of this season was to try to consolidate and establish some firm foundations.

"I believe we can do that and I have also been encouraged by what is happening off the field and the people involved.

"When I was there before, there were only three or four doing the work and you wondered where the club was going."

Fallon's optimism now needs a few good results to re-inforce it and Whalley will be seeking that elusive first win when they visit Earby tomorrow.

Elsewhere, Padiham will be eager for revenge when they take on Great Harwood in an Arbories re-run of last weekend's Ramsbottom Cup tie.

Harwood won that game comprehensively but will need a repeat performance if they are to narrow the gap between the two clubs in the table. Joint leaders Read and Barnoldswick are both away.

Read, with professional Shahid Nawaz in such commanding form, visit Blackburn Northern, while Barnoldswick - also keen to make it four wins out of four - face Ribblesdale Wanderers at Church Meadow. Tomorrow's games: Cherry Tree v Settle, Earby v Whalley, Edenfield v Clitheroe, Osw Immanuel v Baxenden, Padiham v Gt Harwood, Blackburn N v Read, Ribblesdale W v Barnoldswick.

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