People in West Yorkshire say that the JCT600 Bradford League is the best in the country and you won’t find Baildon skipper Craig Hitchenor disagreeing.

“I have been playing in the league for 14 years and I have never known it as competitive,” said the former Farsley pace bowler.

“Bradford & Bingley have won four and lost two and they are top and we have won two and lost four and we are bottom.”

Hitchenor is confident that the Jenny Laners will beat the drop but realises that a lot depends on how quickly their overseas player, Sri Lankan Sampath Perera, arrives.

The captain added: “We have been in touch since the new year but he is having to re-apply for a visa and it could be weeks before that is sorted – but the sooner he gets here the better as far as we are concerned because we are a bit thin on the bowling front.

“We have struggled to replace Andy Walker from our title-winning side of 2009 and we lost Mushtaq Ahmed for a couple of weeks this season when he had to go back to Pakistan for a family bereavement.

“However, we have Tabbi Bhatti and Ahsan Butt back this year – we should never have lost them in the first place but that is another story.”

Hitchenor’s side have beaten Undercliffe and Hanging Heaton. He reckons those two, plus Gomersal, Manningham Mills and Baildon, will be scrapping it out to avoid the two relegation places.

He said: “We made a dream start to the campaign by beating Undercliffe but we then lost the two games that Mushy missed (Farsley and Pudsey St Lawrence).

“In my opinion, he is still the best bowler in the league.”

Another defeat followed against East Bierley before the success over Hanging Heaton but since then Baildon have been the victim of a Priestley Cup giant-killing by Great Horton and lost to Woodlands in the league.

Hitchenor said: “The loss to Great Horton was not as important as the league win the day before against Hanging Heaton but I didn’t bowl in the cup game as I cannot bowl twice in two days anymore.

“Nevertheless, Great Hor-ton played well and good luck to them in the next round.”

What has been holding Baildon’s bowling attack together has been Richard Atkins.

Hitchenor said: “He bowls a brisk medium pace and has been a revelation for us with the ball but we signed him from Loughborough University as an opening bat!”

Baildon are without Harry Smallwood on Saturday at Bradford & Bingley because of a strained Achilles tendon but Hitchenor said: “We are confident that we can go there and win.”

Second-from-bottom Gomersal host Pudsey St Lawrence, Hanging Heaton visit Cleckheaton, Manningham Mills are at home to Woodlands and Undercliffe entertain second-placed Farsley. Heavyweights Pudsey Congs and East Bierley meet at the Britannia Ground.

Top match in Division Two is fifth-placed Spen Victoria’s visit to runaway leaders Lightcliffe, who are 26 points ahead of second-placed Saltaire, having played a game more.