BLACKROD captain Joey Pryle believes his side will probably have to leave it late again if they are to mount a second successive promotion challenge.

The Vicarage Road side came through strongly at the end of last season, just missing out on the final day of the campaign.

And Pryle can see the same thing happening again if they are to go one better and be one of the two teams to go up out of the Anthony Axford Bolton Cricket League Association Division into the Premiership.

“We were close last time, four wickets away at Atherton and we dropped four catches,” said the skipper whose side kick off their season away to Golborne tomorrow.

“That was the difference between being in this division or the one above.

“We are going to struggle early this season because we have a lot of players at university and they don’t get back until June.

“We’ve also got a key player, Joe Speak, our opening bowler, working away until about the same time.

“It leaves us short for the first couple of months but when we get all our players back we should have a team that is able to compete with anyone.”

Pryle said the shortage of first-team players left the club with a dilemma many others find themselves in.

“Being short of players is the same across the board, it’s not just us,” he said.

“You have a decision to make, do you start paying to get people to come?

“I don’t agree with that. We have to be patient. We have a good junior set-up so if we don’t get promotion this season then so be it.”

Blackrod prefer to spend their money where it will benefit them in the longer term.

They have plans to build new facilities to make the club an appealing place for local people to socialise in general as well as and watch cricket at the weekend.

“People are starting to come back to the club now,” he said.

“With some pubs closing in the village the cricket club is a hub in the area and unless we improve facilities they will not keep coming.”

Pryle sees the local nature of the Bolton League as continuing to be a major plus.

“Both divisions look like anyone could do well this season,” he said.

“That’s why we wanted to join this league, because it is competitive and there is local rivalry – even more so in the Premiership Division.

“Horwich look very strong this year, Bradshaw the same. Farnworth will want to win it again and there are other teams who look like they could be up there too.

“In our division I would like to think we will do well, Heaton will be strong, Astley Bridge were hard to play against last season.

“But I think Adlington will struggle if I’m honest. They’ve lost Majid Majeed who they had for years and it might depend on their new pro.”