AN investigation has been launched after a cricket match was interrupted by fans, partying at the house of one of the home team's players.

But today Oswaldtwistle Immanuel Church first team player Roger Watson angrily denied claims about what happened in his back garden and said the game had not even been stopped.

Former Lancashire all-rounder Mr Watson said: "There were only shouts of encouragement. There was no swearing. It was just a few lads having a few drinks and nothing to do with the cricket."

Play was temporarily halted in the match between Oswaldtwistle Immanuel Third X1 and Ribblesdale Wanderers when jeering and chanting started to distract the visiters.

The Oswaldtwistle club is now trying to find out if any of its players were among the partygoers who disrupted the match at New Lane on Sunday.

Wanderers captain John Burke said one of his batsman was going to write to the league committee to complain after he received ''verbal abuse'' when he tried to tell the partygoers to keep quiet. The party was in the garden of a house owned by Mr Watson. It backs on to the field and it is claimed people were leaning over the fence to jeer and chant at the Ribblesdale players.

Oswaldtwistle's Australian professional Matthew Lawrence is staying at the house.

Mr Burke, whose Clitheroe-based team included players as young as 15, said: ''There was a lot of jeering and shouting. One or two of our players took exception to it.

''One of our batsmen went to speak to them. An umpire halted the game and went across to tell them to stop.

''They calmed down for while but soon started taking the mickey again. I ignored them but a lot of the players were fed up.''

Oswaldtwistle vice-chairman David Baron said he was at the match but claimed there was nothing the club could do to stop the off-field antics.

He said: ''They were not on the cricket field so there was nothing we could do about it.

''In the end, Ribblesdale won the match so their lads had the last laugh.''

He said the behaviour was not in the ''spirit of the game'' and confirmed the club was launching an investigation. ''A lot of the people at the party were not connected with club. We will be trying to find out if any members of the club were involved in the jeering and chanting. We will then see if any action needs to be taken.

''If any Ribblesdale Wanderers player or umpire heard any bad language then I would like them to come forward.''

He added that he felt there had been no malice in the antics and put it down to too much drink in the sun.

The incident will be discussed tomorrow when the club committee meets.

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