East Bierley league representative Ray Davis reckons that if Richard Gould had played every game this season then the club would be "in the top three or four" in the Specialist Ducting Supplies First Division.

The Bierley skipper scored 1,133 runs last season - the leading aggregate in the top flight - in 25 innings.

However, because of thigh and hip injuries, Gould has only batted five times so far this campaign.

He said: "I have had one cortisone injection and my thigh seems to be OK at the moment, but my muscle is turning into bone in my hip and that will need an operation.

"Hopefully I can last until the end of the season, but it is going to be a long rehabilitation period of four to six months."

Gould finished fifth in the First Division averages in 2004, and it is to his immense credit that he was fifth again at the halfway stage of this season, having improved his average from 49.26 last year to 52.33 this time.

And last weekend, Gould upped his statistics even further by scoring 73 not out at home to Idle.

He has formed a prolific opening partnership with Jonathan Proud, initially at Farsley and latterly at Bierley, but now prefers a middle-order berth.

Bierley's captain added: "I don't know how long I would last if I opened because of my movement, but I am seeing the ball well enough, and have been for a couple of seasons. Eventually I would like to move back up the order."

Gould's team are currently eighth in the table and he said: "We have been hard hit by injuries over the last two seasons.

"This season it has been Rob Burton and myself and last season it was two or three players, but we would like to think that we can still finish in the top three.

"Rob's shoulder injury is easing and he might be able to bowl soon and we are not counting ourselves out of the title race if we can win a couple and Pudsey Congs lose a couple."

Tomorrow Bierley are at Bankfoot, who, like many other teams, haven't played much cricket in recent weeks.

"Pulling the covers on and off can be so frustrating," admitted Bankfoot captain Greg Colehan.

His team have turned quite a few heads with their recent run of four victories and a winning draw, but they are still in that mid-table pile up where seven teams are separated by just 11 points.

"We aren't playing defensively yet. We are still going for six points, but we are looking at the results of clubs around us," admitted Colehan.

Bankfoot are boosted by the return of Andy Marshall after shoulder trouble.

"He bowls a lot of overs for us off a short run at medium pace, and came through a second-team match last weekend OK."

Marshall bowled five overs and took one for nine at home to Bowling Old Lane, and then scored 72 in their victory.