HORWICH go into the final weekend of the season as Farnworth’s main rival for the last remaining Lancashire Knockout place – but injured captain David White reckons that it is not on their radar.

The Recreation Ground men trail Simon Booth’s side by six points, with difficult matches at champions Farnworth Social Circle today and at home to form side Walkden tomorrow.

Farnworth only need to win one of their two remaining home matches – against Kearsley today and Egerton tomorrow – to clinch a top-four place.

But White admits his attention is more on blooding his club’s talented youngsters than claiming a spot in the county cup competition.

“Don’t get me wrong, if we finished in the top four we would take the place in the Lancs KO, but that’s not really in our thinking,” said White.

“What we hope to do is give as many of the youngsters we have coming through as much first-team cricket as possible in the final two games.

“The idea is to give them the experience they need so they are ready to step up next April and have an even bigger impact in the senior side next season.

“We are looking to build for the next 10 years, not the next 10 minutes, so we feel it is important to give these lads their chance.”

White has helped engineer the progress of the club’s youngsters from the sidelines after being laid low by a chronic back problem that has seen him play just eight matches.

There is a chance he may have to call time on a local cricket career that started in 1978, but he has no fears about a possible successor.

Horwich’s vice captain, wicketkeeper Peter Halliday, has also been unable to play for the past month due to work commitments, with 14-year-old Marcus Haydock filling the dual roles of gloveman and captain.

Lancashire youth stars Chris Brownlow, aged 16, and Tom Billington, aged 15, have also featured near the top of the batting order for the majority of the season.

And Lewis Haydock, Matthew Morris and Joe Baldwin – all key members of the club’s all-conquering under-15s side – have been in and out of the first team in recent weeks.

Professional Babar Naeem and fellow strike bowler Adam Street have made sure results have not dipped while the young lads have been integrated, helping Horwich to fifth in the table with impressive bowling displays.

Naeem has earned a contract for next season, although White hopes the faith the club have shown in him will be repaid with an improvement in his batting next time round.

Street has been nominated for the league’s bowler-of-the-month award, along with Kearsley’s Sabah Ghaus, Liam Bones (Farnworth SC) and Steve Forster (Bradshaw).

Heaton’s Anwar Ul-Haq leads the way in the batting, with Chris Baxendale (Farnworth) and Rick Northrop (Astley Bridge), also in the running.