Youth to the fore as Idle seek revival

With that has gone a wholesale change in personnel and, along with top-flight Bankfoot and Idle’s fellow cellar dwellers Great Horton, the Cavendish Road side have yet to win a league match.

But, like Bankfoot but unlike Great Horton, Idle have also found bonus points difficult to come by.

“It’s all down to finances,” said Idle’s league representative Neil Johnson of their plight.

“The recession has had a big effect, like with other clubs, but there has also been a change of regime in our parent organisation, and all that has meant less money.

“Also our recruiting in the winter didn’t go well, and we had players who promised to come who didn’t turn up and others who came for a couple of matches and then left.

“But all this has meant that the youngsters have been given a chance in the first team, such as Mushy Shah and Tom Johnson.

“Mushy has opened the batting and Tom has opened the bowling and, although at 16 he is a bit raw, he has had some good spells and some good scalps.

“He took four for 52 against Bowling Old Lane, and in his next two matches he dismissed Richard Gould and Chris Taylor.”

Johnson added: “We have a good junior set-up. We have a very good under-17 side and a good under-15 side in terms of quality but not quantity, and our under-13s and under-11s show promise.

"It would be nice for our first team to win a game but we know that things are going to be difficult for at least a couple of years. Then hopefully things will turn around.”

Idle aren’t without hope of breaking their duck on Saturday as they are at third-from-bottom Spen Victoria.

Matches of the day in the division are third-placed Hartshead Moor at home to leaders and promotion favurites Hanging Heaton, and sixth-placed Keighley visiting second-placed Lightcliffe.

Next best is Windhill at home to Manningham Mills, both teams being part of a group of six behind the front-running duo.

Bowling Old Lane, the other members of that half-dozen who hope to bridge the gap, are at Great Horton.

With First Division leaders Woodlands having a spare week, the most interesting clash is second-placed Undercliffe’s visit to eighth-placed Farsley.

Undercliffe have won five of their last six matches – a run that has lifted them from sixth.

In contrast, Yeadon, who won two of their first three matches, have dropped from fourth to second from bottom after four straight losses.

On Saturday, they are at home to fourth-placed Pud-sey Congs.

SELECTED TEAMS

Bradford & Bingley (at Gomersal): P Slater, S Etherington, S Davies, N Gharni, M Duce, C Thompson, D Clow, J Davies, R McCarthy, W Briggs, M Cockshott.

Bradford & Bingley Seconds (home to Lightcliffe): P Clarke, W Allitt, A Clarke, M Clarke, A Swallow, J Roach, M Davies, W Ali, D Trowers, R Slater, R Pratt.

Cross Roads-Daisy Hill (at Heaton B): B Greenwood snr, C Hartley, G Beaumont, J Butterfield, D Clarke, W Clarke, G Crabtree, S Davey, N Light, B Moghal, S Reynard.

Cross Roads-Daisy Hill Seconds (home to Central YMCA): D Sowrey, G Langton, G Clayton, M Clegg, S Close, F Cope, S Hainsworth, S Markovych, R Pearson, S Roberts, D Smith. Reserve: A Flint.

Denholme (at Oakworth Seconds): A Taylor, D Feather, J Greenwood, T Greenwood, P Greenwood, D Manning, L Pickles, J Rogers, S Rogers, Robert Taylor, N Woodhead.

Denholme Seconds (home to Little Marsden): L Taylor, M Armitage, K Briggs, P Briggs, C Foster, R Sheard, I Smith, R Smith, A Shires, T Shires, J Wilkinson. Reserve: J Harrison.

Oakworth (at Cowling): J Gallagher, S Filkin, M Scarborough, R Hopkinson, D Duffy, J Hainsworth, N Trowers, R Linden, J Ellis, L Taylor, J Davison.

Oakworth Seconds (home to Denholme Seconds): S Howell, M Davison, B Fothergill, L Wrathall, J Hollingsworth, M Clegg, J Copperwaite, R Hollngsworth, K Hird, I Jackson, B Lawn.

Oakworth Thirds (at Thornton Thirds): A Fothergill, J Geldard, D Voss, J Lee, S Nettleton, J Sharples, J Keighley, M Lee, O Stell, G Fothergill, J Atkinson.