JOEY Pryle says Blackrod have a long-term plan which will drive them forward over the next decade.

The Vicarage Road club are aiming for Bolton League silverware, and not just promotion from the Association, but their captain insists it won’t happen in a flash despite current signs of encouragement.

Blackrod are mid-table in the league’s second tier with five wins from 15 games.

They briefly flirted with promotion at the start of the month, only to lose a crucial game away to Eagley.

They lost again on Saturday by 22 runs at Little Hulton chasing 200.

“We’re in the middle of a 10-year plan,” said Pryle.

“We’re three years in, and there’s a long way to go.

“If we can get to the end of the 10 years and can win something - a knockout trophy or something - that would be fantastic.

“There is progress, but it won’t happen overnight.

“I was the coach of the juniors 10 years ago, and there are a number of players in that team who are playing for the first team now. That’s nice to see.

“Underneath those we’ve got a really good junior set-up going.

“We have 50 or 60 juniors and are one of few clubs in the league who have a team in all the age-groups.

“We’re not going to get all of them through into senior cricket and performing, but even half a dozen of them would be a success.”

In the short-term, Pryle’s side have picked up having started the league season with two wins from the first eight rounds.

They then won three on the bounce through July to jump up the table.

“I said earlier in the season, ‘If we get players back and have a full side out, we can beat anybody on our day’. That’s proven to be the case,” said the skipper.

Blackrod have had a disruptive time with their professional’s spot.

Pre-season signing Pramod Maduwantha has won selection on Sri Lankan development programme tours to South Africa and Bangladesh, meaning they have had to fill the gap with compatriot Shashrika Pussegolla.

But he has not been allowed to play all of the time by the Bolton League.

“The league have this rule where you can have a deputy if your pro is absent for up to six weeks only, which we used up with Pramod away,” said Pryle.

“Then, that’s it. You can’t have one and get fined. But we feel like it’s been out of our control.

“I’ve spoken to the league about their ruling, which they will be reviewing.

“At least we’ve now got Shashrika back because what’s now in place is that you can have a deputy again for the last four weeks of the season.

“There were a lot of Pakistani pros who all got called back to their domestic competition a month early last year, leaving a lot of clubs short. So they had to bring that rule in.

“Shashrika has been fantastic for us. He’s been positive on the field, he has a good cricket brain and is very calm.”

Pussegolla claimed five wickets with his off-spin on Saturday and hit 33 with the bat.