Bradshaw will be looking for a winning tonic on Saturday after enduring a fortnight of misery.

In 14 days, the Bolton League side have lost their professional, their captain, and their cricket manager.

The departures started with the decision of professional Brett Newman to return to Australia after being laid low by injury.

Newman had an operation during winter on a knee injury but this has still not healed and the player felt he had no choice but to go home for further treatment.

Skipper David Morris then decided to leave the club, after his father, club chairman Dave Morris, admitted that the game was starting to affect family relations.

Then, manager Dave Tattersall left to renew his playing career at Tonge, insisting that his departure was "perfectly amicable".

Chairman Dave Morris said of his son's decision: "Cricket was starting to come between us as a family, and we were were getting at cross purposes with each other.

"David felt he needed a challenge elsewhere, and in the end, decided to go to Greenmount.

"It's true we did have some disagreements over cricketing matters before he left, but we're fine now, and there is not a problem."

In Newman's absence, the club will have to find a replacement professional, and chairman Morris concedes that trying to do that at this stage of the season is not easy.

However, Bradshaw will be looking to lift some of the gloom with a win over bottom club Little Lever tomorrow.

A couple of weeks ago they would have felt confident of doing that, but following the departure of two of their key players, and given that Little Lever ended their dismal run with victory at Astley Bridge last week, the task now looks that much more difficult.

Elsewhere, the battle at the top of the table between leaders Westhoughton and champions Walkden in second place, may not be resolved until two weeks time.

Then the two sides meet at The Oval, when Walkden will be hoping to make their home advantage count.

Until then. both sides look as if they will maintain their title challenge.

Walkden, however, may feel slighly happier at meeting Heaton at home tomorrow, than Westhoughton will as they go to Egerton, but next week the leaders will have home advantage when they come up against Kearsley, while Walkden go to Farnworth Social Circle.