By Peter Stafford

ONLY two weeks into a new season and already no shortage of points for discussion.

No shortage of points for Westhoughton either, thanks to a definitive captain's contribution from Mike Crookson, who won the first match almost single handedly.

In game number two he chipped in towards the end with 4 for 1 after Harrison, Richard Parker and Holder had virtually assured a second helping of six points against Horwich.

Westhoughton are the only side with a maximum 12 and, if they can maintain that kind of form throughout this weekend's games against Tonge and a much stronger looking Greenmount team, then people will have to sit up and take notice.

With Rod Estwick de-jetlagged, freed from red tape and, presumably, raring to go, Westhoughton could be the surprise package.

On paper there is no doubting the fact that Kearsley's players are the most formidable bunch at any club in the League. The top six are almost certainly as strong a half dozen as any club has ever possessed and, when the names of Powell, Tattersall and Lucas are added, you have the makings of a championship side -always provided that this awesome collection of talent can avoid the 'all-star' syndrome, and can be moulded into a single happy and effective unit. Other than having exchanged one Australian batsman for another, champions Little Lever will be relying on the same personnel and formula as last season, and why not! Tonge and Farnworth SC should prove difficult to beat and, if Farnworth are not exactly title material, they still have enough good players to cause more than a few upsets.

They also have a rare problem, in that their top five batsmen are, at the same time, their top five bowlers, a situation which necessitates the last three or four places in the order being occupied by players picked solely for their batting. Walkden have already given us another glimpse of their 1995 inconsistencies but will be nearer the top than the bottom come September.

At the bottom, with all due respect to three excellent professionals, it's looking like another thin season for Eagley and Astley Bridge together with Horwich. None of these clubs have sufficient depth in batting to sustain them over a full season, although Horwich's plight is hardly surprising, given that they have lost White, Drinkwater, Dagnall, Ratledge and Henderson from last year's successful side. One oddity to emerge from the two completed programmes is that they have contained no fewer than eight instances of one batsman so monopolising an innings that he has hit over 50 per cent of his side's runs. Crookson's previously mentioned 56 out of 111, Long's 59 out of 90, Dave Smith's unbeaten 91 out of 110 and, perhaps most encouraging of all, Matthew Parkinson's maiden century in first-team cricket.

Another much-discussed topic has been the recent return to the League of several players of inter-league calibre. Names like Berry, Harper, Morris, Nuttall, Powell and Stewart spring to mind, not to mention three or four newcomers from other leagues who have inter-league experience. All of which will make the selectors' task more interesting, not to say difficult.

Having taken a quick headcount around the clubs, I reckon the short list numbers 25 and 30, all of whom could well come into the final reckoning. This is going to disappoint a lot of players and give the selectors monumental headaches, but, much more importantly, present the League with a side well capable of regaining the Inter-League Trophy.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.