DISCIPLINARY officials from the Jennings Ribblesdale League were meeting at Blackburn Northern last night to consider a complaint from Settle about the behaviour of Old Rossendale players in a Division Two game at Marshfield earlier in the season.

League and club officials were remaining tight-lipped in advance of the meeting, but it seems that both the Settle club and the match umpires have expressed their concern about remarks made during the match.

While Settle secretary John Agar declined to comment on the case, he did offer a view which many senior administrators are bound to sympathise with. "The league rules are very clear with regard to foul language and'sledging', yet every single game you attend, there are examples of it. And even more regretable is the fact that the higher the standard, the worse the behaviour.

"You have only to watch first-class cricket on TV to see bowlers following through to come almost nose-to-nose with batsmen so that hey can exchange pleasantries. This is the standard being set for our children. It's very sad.

"It makes me feel old to recall the days when a good shot by a batsman earned applause from the fielding side. Those days are long gone I'm afraid."

The League's 'code of conduct' identifies ten seperate breaches which require umpires to submit a report. These include intimidation, aggressive behaviour or deliberate distraction of opponents; dissent at umpiring decisions; foul language, verbal abuse and swearing; intimidatory or indecent gestures.

If a complaint is proven to the satisfaction of the Disciplinary Sub-Committee, they can expel a player from the league, suspend a player immediately or impose a suspended sentence, impose a fine of up to £500 or deliver a reprimand. Where a club is deemed to be in breach, similar sanctions are available, with a deduction of points an additional option.

Old Rossendalians won the game by 14 runs.

If Settle have cause for complaint about their defeat at the hands of Ribblesdale Wanderers at the weekend it is likely to focus on the fact that they failed to bat out their allocated overs and as a result, handed the home side a useful advantage.

In the event, Wanderers got home with four wickets in hand and enough overs to avoid any anxiety, but with more care, Settle could have taken the game to the wire.

In-form Mark Verden was the key contributor in the Settle innings with a tasty 59. He had nine fours and a six in his 76-ball tenure at the crease before he was trapped lbw.

Robert Preston (21) and David Jolleys (28) kept things moving after half the side had gone for 60, but a 149 tally in 39 overs was not enough to wrest the initiative from the Wanderers.

They got away to a solid start with prolific professional Shahid Nawaz involved in partnerships which took the score to 115 with only two wickets down.

He finally went for 44 after an hour at the crease which yielded four fours and three sixes, by which point the home side had victory in sight.

Earby were in position to build a useful total when they reached 93-3 off 22 overs, but the accelleration did not arrive until it was too late. They slipped to 118-7 before Rushton (39) and Wiseman (20 n.o.) put on 55 for the eighth wicket to help the side to 178-9 after 45 overs.

With the warmer weather bringing the ball onto the bat at a crisper pace then previously this season, it soon became evident that the 178 tally would be vulnerable, especially with opener Pankaj Tripathi in fine form from the off.

While his partner Ali fell for six, the stand had reached 53 when the first wicket fell and that was to be Earby's only success of the afternoon.

With professional Ajay Sharma (57 n.o.) backing up a strong bowling stint with more fluent stroke-making, Padiham hurried to their target without any alarms, Tripathi just having enough time to reach his century before victory was secured.

Barnoldswick were anticipating a tough test at title contenders Cherry Tree and the Blackburn side did not disappoint, moving back into top spot thanks to a 63-run victory.

Cherry Tree batted steadily throughout in reaching 212-5 during their allotted spell.

Openers Veevers and Groga set the tempo with an opening stand of 75, Groga including a dozen fours in a cheerful 72 which formed the backbone of the innings.

When Groga went, caught by James Stead off Sid Sheraz, professional Naeem Ashraf (20) and Redhead (37) kept the score ticking over nicely, to leave the visitors chasing a stiff target.

Barnoldswick began steadily enough with openers Ian Scothern and Mark Temple putting on 43 for the first wicket, but the only innings of substance after Scothern's 30 was a beligerent knock from Barry Charnley.

He had two sixes and three fours in his 34 before falling victim to Ashraf, the visitors' next highest contributor in an innings of 149 being 'byes', which added 30 to the total.

In the quarter-finals of the Ramsbottom Cup, Cherry Tree earned a semi-final trip to Clitheroe when they beat Great Harwood by 36 runs in a high-scoring encounter. Clitheroe totalled 173-4 to overhaul Baxenden , while Earby, who had a quarter-final bye, will now visit Read.They beat Padiham by 103 runs after reaching 270-6 thanks largely to a handsome 110 from Terry Little, the league's top amateur last season.

The semi-finals at scheduled for July 2.

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