Date: 11th April 2012
A Paul Edwards copyright exclusive for L&DCC Official Website.
Lytham's preparations for the start of the competitive cricket season tomorrow have been disrupted by injury worries and the news that their putative overseas professional has had his visa application rejected.
The Church Road club had hoped that the 22-year-old Sri Lankan all-rounder Chaturanga de Silva would be joining them in time for the start of the ECB Premier League season on May 5th and officials are now looking elsewhere after hearing on Wednesday evening that the move could not take place.
Lytham have just over three weeks to find and register a replacement before the first team visit Northern, but the Lytham line-up for tomorrow's home match against Liverpool in the group stages of the league knockout lacks not only Nick Knight, who is on holiday, but also Marcus Sharp and Michael Rigby, both of whom are recovering from injuries.
While skipper Antony Mulligan hopes that both Rigby's ankle and Sharp's shoulder will have recovered in time for the trip to Moor Park, the disruptions have hardly made for the trouble-free start to the campaign which the Fylde club's captain envisaged.
"The news about Chaturanga was a bit of a bombshell," admitted Mulligan. "Some of the things we would have wanted to have in place are now not there. "
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