Westhoughton bid for Lancs semi spot

WESTHOUGHTON will take time off from their top table tussle with rivals Walkden to try for success on a second front.

They take on Manchester Association side Monton & Weaste at the Tyldesleys in the quarter finals of the LCB Thwaites Knockout competition.

The trophy has been in Bolton League hands for the last two seasons with Walkden but they failed in their bid to make it a hat-trick when beaten by Westhoughton a few weeks ago.

And now the Bolton League leaders are hoping to build on that local triumph by winning through to the semi-finals.

Westhoughton do appear the stronger of the two sides, although Monton and Weaste finished runners-up to SW Manchester in the Manchester Association last season with Bolton Cricket Club third and will not roll over easily.

But if Westhoughton do win, they will face the winners of the quarter final match between Northern League Morecambe and Settle of the Ribblesdale League.

Westhoughton last won the knockout in 1999 beating Bootle of the Liverpool Competition, and that final could be repeated as the Merseyside club are already through to the last four after beating Bolton Association leaders Elton last week.

Bootle now wait for the winners of the quarter final tie between fellow Liverpool Competition outfit, Leigh, and Manchester Association champions, SW Manchester, who caused something of a shock in the earlier rounds by beating Northern League side St Annes.

Westhoughton, however, will only have thoughts on tomorrow's game and they are hoping that the firepower that has kept them on top of the table for most of the season will see them through.

Ian Pilkington has produced some good scores already for them this season and is well backed up by the like of Steve Parker, Alan Gaskell and Adam Coates, and then West Indian pro Antonio Mayers showed his form last week with a century as well as being the side's opening strike bowler.