Ribblesdale League Saturday preview (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Ribblesdale League Saturday preview

9:28am Friday 4th September 2009 in

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RIBBLESDALE League champions Baxenden will get their hands on the silverware tomorrow - but Ian Austin says his men won’t take their feet off the gas if they get to play Padiham.

Heavy rain could well threaten games this weekend with pitches saturated by this week’s downpours already but Austin hopes that is not the case on what should be a celebratory day.

Bash have lost just three times this season and will receive the championship trophy during the tea interval of their Back Lane clash with Padiham, and the former Lancashire and England all-rounder wants to finish the season on a high.

“We have two games left and I want us to win both of them,” he said.

“It would be excellent to pass the 250-point mark and that is certainly something we are aiming for.

“That would be a great achievement.

“I think we deserve to be champions. we have had a good season and we want to finish it well.”

While there will be champagne corks popping at Back Lane, there is much to play for at Whalley Road as Read entertain last year’s champions Great Harwood in a battle for second spot.

The two sides have been involved in a season-long tussle behind Baxenden and it is advan-tage Harwood at the moment as they hold an eight point lead over Jon Harvey’s men.

And Russ Whalley’s Harwood are also on a high after they ended Baxenden’s bid for a league, Ramsbottom Cup and 20/20 treble on Bank Holiday Monday with their win at Back Lane.

Earby know that a win in their local derby at Barnoldswick will give them a Lancashire Cup spot to complete a remarkable turnaround in fortunes at the Applegarth after their lowly finish last year.

Oswaldtwistle Immanuel, who can still pip Earby if they win both their remaining games and Stephen Hipgrave’s men self destruct, welcome Settle to New Lane, and Cherry Tree host Ribblesdale Wanderers at Preston Old Road in a mid-table clash that could turn out to be the pick of the day’s games.

Whalley go to Clitheroe and Blackburn Northern, who are guaranteed to finish bottom despite their lofty ambitions at the start of the season, face Edenfield at Pleckgate Road.

Tomorrow’s fixtures (1pm) Barnoldswick v Earby, Baxenden v Padiham, Blackburn N v Edenfield, Cherry Tree v Ribblesdale W, Clitheroe v Whalley, Oswaldtwistle v Settle, Read v Gt Harwood