ADAM Dale has been offered terms to return for a second season at Bacup next summer and looks set to accept barring international or county call-ups.

Dale has led Bacup into the thick of the Transco Lancashire League title race with 75 wickets so far and the Lanehead club is understandably keen to bring the Queenslander back.

Captain Neil Wilkinson said: "We've offered him terms and he's agreed in principle. He's more than happy with the club and he's had a fine time here with his wife and two young children.

"He still harbours ambitions of getting back into the Australian set-up and if a county came along I'm sure he would be more than interested in that. But if these things don't happen it's more than likely he will be back at Bacup next year, which would be good.

"He had a tough start and people began to question our wisdom of signing him but we said he would come good and he's on course to become the first Bacup professional to take 100 wickets since Roy Gilchrist in 1963."

Bacup went into today's game at Enfield in third place in the table and with a home fixture against struggling Rawtenstall tomorrow will hope to close the nine-point gap on leaders Ramsbottom.

Tomorrow's fixtures: Accrington v Church, Bacup v Rawtenstall, Haslingden v Ramsbottom, Lowerhouse v Colne, Nelson v Burnley, Rishton v East Lancs, Todmorden v Enfield.