WHALLEY hope to be off the bottom of the Jennings Ribblesdale League table by tomorrow evening, writes NINA HAIGH.

The strugglers have hit a rich vein of form and were just one point behind second-from-bottom Oswaldtwistle before today's game at Blackburn Northern.

They have won four of the last five games, not including the abandoned match against Ribblesdale Wanderers, and captain Jason Smith knows that if they continue with that form they won't be bottom of the league for much longer.

"We are starting to pick up wins because we are starting to score more runs," said the Colne-based Aussie, a former professional at the club.

"And we are scoring quite a bit more, considering we were all out for 38 against Edenfield earlier in the season and we scored 220-odd last weekend."

Smith, who is in his first year as captain, can't put his finger on why the turnabout has occured.

"Nothing has changed, we haven't done anything different but we have great morale win or lose."

Whalley face Settle, a side who lie fifth from bottom with just one more win, at home tomorrow. The side have one ambition now for the season.

"We don't want to finish bottom of the league," said Smith. "And if we continue the way we have for the past five or six games for the rest of the season, we will have had a pretty good second half.

"We'll just have to forget about the first half."

Tomorrow's fixtures: Baxenden v Edenfield, Blacburn Northern v Cherry Tree, Earby v Barnoldswick, Great Harwood v Oswaldtwistle Immanuel, Read v Padiham, Ribblesdale Wanderers v Clitheroe, Whalley v Settle.