Howfen call up Imam as pro leaves
12:21pm Saturday 29th July 2006 in Sport By Peter Mensforth
WESTHOUGHTON are hoping the arrival of a new professional will help turn their season around.
The Bolton League side have now appointed Iqbal Imam as their new pro after terminating the contract of West Indian Reyad Emrit.
He failed to return from a Trinidadian training camp held in California, initially claiming to have missed his flight, but then turned up in Trinidad, where he has been playing Twenty20 cricket.
Westhoughton captain Adam Coates was in no doubt that Emrit had let the club and players down.
"We are extremely disappointed with him. When he went out to the training camp it was with the club's permission but what happened after that has just been inexcusable and we had no other option but to terminate his contract."
Emrit batted in only 10 matches for the club, scoring almost 400 runs at an average 49.65.
Now the club have turned to Imam, who has played in the Bolton League before when professional for Horwich in 1999.
A Pakistan right arm off-spinner and right hand bat, Imam made an instant impression when picking up four wickets in Westhoughton's win over Bradshaw on Sunday.
The win against Bradshaw lifted the spirits of everyone at the club, especially Steve Parker, who hit a magnificent 107. Parker was part of a club record opening partnership of over 200 runs with Ian Pilkington although not everyone was happy.
Pilkington looked set to join Parker on three figures when he was dismissed in the most heartbreaking fashion for a batsman. He was on 98 at the non-striker's end when Parker played a straight drive and bowler Chris Wilson managed to get a fingertip to the ball, deflecting it onto the stumps, running out Pilkington.
"Obviously he was gutted over that," said Coates, "but it was good to see Steve getting back amongst the runs, but then scoring runs has not been a problem for the side this season.
"Ian Pilkington has around 600 runs, Steve Parker, myself and Mubarek Patel have about 300 each, so we are reasonably happy with that. Unfortunately. we have been giving away too many runs, and in the last three or four games we have lost in the last over, and had it gone the other way, we could have been around sixth in the table instead of at the bottom."
For Coates, his first season as captain has been, in his words, "interesting extremely interesting"
"Obviously, I would have liked us to be in a better league position, it's hard work,s but I've enjoyed it."
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