Little Lever have cancelled the contract of their new cricket professional Kashif Raza.

The Pakistan player has still not arrived in this country but the club were told at the weekend that he was due to arrive tomorrow.

Yet they were also informed that the player was returning to Pakistan in around three weeks time to play in a competition.

"That was no use to us, because he wouldn't be back until some time at the end of June," said Little Lever treasurer Harry Rushmore. "We immediately cobntacted his agent and canceled his contract."

The club are now looking at other options and could sign another Pakistan player, Imran Amin, a 22 years old right arm medium pace bowler, who is already in this country and has no work permit problems.

Last weekend the club were forced to play their game against Farnworth SC without a professional and are liable to a League fine.

Harry Rushmore added: "It wasn't for want of trying. We were in contact with Yorkshire at one stage to see if they could provide us with a player but they couldn't yet we did finally manage to find a deputy in Lostock's Steve Twist.

":Unfortunately he rang us late on Saturday night to tell us he had been injured during Losrtock's Bolton Association game that afternoon and couldn't play.

"We started again trying to find a replacement but it was just impossible."

One bright spot for the club is that some of their younger players have been showing good form in the opening weeks.

Fifteen years old Paul Tonge has been particularly impressive taking nine wickets for 40 and hitting 20 not out in the second team at the weekend.