After their biggest win of the season, will Northwich stay focused?

NORTHWICH will be tempted to take their eyes off the ball – literally and metaphorically – when they visit Manchester this weekend.

A 40-7 win against promotion rivals Liverpool St Helens last Saturday, their 10th league victory in succession, leaves them level on points with season-long leaders West Park at the top of South Lancs/Cheshire Division One.

Their next fixture is against Manchester, opponents Blacks demolished at Moss Farm back in October.

At the same time, LSH will be hosting West Park.

A first reverse of term for the latter against their St Helens neighbours will leave Martin Poste’s men alone in first place if they avoid defeat against opponents that mauled Winnington Park last time out.

“We’ll be tested plenty more times before the season finishes,” said Northwich flanker Sam Naylor.

“But we’ve got ourselves into a great position, and should be fighting for the title – not looking over our shoulders.”

Northwich Guardian:

James Underhill attempts to make forward progress for Northwich during last Saturday's 40-7 success against LSH at Moss Farm. Picture: PAUL HEAPS

 

How will Vale Royal fare against the best of the rest in the region?

VALE Royal Athletics Club hope to extend a run of success at the Northern Cross Country Championships when the 2016 edition takes place on Saturday.

The Knights Grange-based outfit has won at least one medal at every edition since 2002, including three silver at Pontefract Racecourse 12 months ago.

If she takes part, then Amelia Pettitt’s target will be to add to a personal haul of nine gongs – two individual and seven as part of a team – collected since 2009.

Vale Royal’s best performance at the event was two years ago, at Knowsley Safari Park, when they returned home with four golds.

Among them was a first solo success for a male athlete, when Elliot Bowker crossed the line first in the under 17s boys’ race.

Teammate Sam Whitehead was third in the same category.

Tomorrow’s event, at Witton Park in Blackburn, starts at 11am.

 

Can Northwich Victoria stop the form team in Division One North?

Farsley Celtic have won 11 matches in a row, nine of them in the Northern Premier League, following a 2-1 win against Bamber Bridge last weekend.

They provide the opposition for second-placed Northwich on Saturday, when new manager Adam Lakeland picks a team for the first time in a home game since his appointment as successor to Jim Gannon, now at Stockport, seven days ago.

He celebrated success at the end of his debut last weekend, when Vics returned from fourth-placed Ossett Albion with maximum points following a 3-0 victory.

They were denied a chance to reduce Warrington’s lead at the table’s summit when a midweek trip to Brig – to play one of their five matches in hand – was postponed.

Vics ran out 2-1 winners in the return game at Throstle Nest back in September, when Cedric Krou scored a decisive goal.

But Farsley, who have won their past three league fixtures on the road, are a different proposition now.

 

Winnington Park have momentum. But how long will it continue?

Winnington Park have risen to the dizzy heights of sixth place in North Men’s Hockey League Division Two West following a four-match winning run.

A 5-1 victory at Windermere, who had lost only once previously this season on home ground, makes this the Northwich outfit’s best run of results since March 2010.

Leaders Alderley Edge, yet to taste defeat on their travels, are next to attempt to halt that sequence at Sir John Deane’s College on Saturday, push back 1.30pm.

Park have not won five successive matches since they were promoted from the North West League back in 2005.

They ended that campaign collecting maximum points on six consecutive weekends.

 

Sapphires set sights on table’s top four

Northwich Sapphires will take over fourth spot in the North West Championship League’s Group B if they win at back-markers Ribble Valley Rebels this weekend.

They improved their position in the table following a narrow 40-36 victory against Chester Blue earlier this month, their third in five matches to date this season.

Their form has been mixed in the build-up: a 50-37 defeat of Ladyhawks in the Cheshire Elite League last weekend was followed by a 43-36 reverse against struggling Alloy on their return to action in the Warrington and District Winter League top flight on Wednesday.

Northwich Guardian:

Wing attack Becky Waterworth in action for Northwich Sapphires during last weekend's Cheshire Elite League encounter with Ladyhawks. Picture: PAUL HEAPS