Witton Albion hope to end a losing run, while 1874 Northwich are desperate to extend a winning sequence

NO matter which metric you use, a case cannot be made for Witton to beat Northern Premier League Premier Division leaders Skelmersdale United on Saturday.

Albion have lost nine successive matches in all competitions, seven of those in the league, to leave them inside the table’s bottom four.

Only back-markers Belper have conceded more goals.

If that wasn’t ominous enough, Tony Sullivan’s men make the trip shorn of leading scorer Neil Harvey following his move back to Marine on Monday.

Skem, for their part, have picked up more points on their own pitch than anybody else this season.

They have won five successive matches, and can boast of having the best defence in the division.

However, Witton were expected to lose when they went to Ormskirk last term. They won 3-1.

1874 Northwich can’t be club of the month again, can they?

NO awards curse here folks.

1874 Northwich, picked as the North West Counties League top flight’s best side during September, have started the following month in similarly impressive fashion.

They disposed of tomorrow’s opponents, Maine Road, comfortably in the FA Cup at the start of the season but can expect a sterner test this time around.

Their guests have lost only three of 15 league games they’ve played since, climbing to sixth in the table.

Ian Street’s men have won eight of their past nine matches in all competitions, mind.

More than that, nobody has scored a goal against them for close to six hours.

Post-derby, what versions of Northwich and Winnington Park will we see?

BRAGGING rights duly retained following last Saturday’s 15-9 success, Northwich hope their newly-found momentum continues at Ruskin Park on Saturday.

Blacks had lost four successive league matches prior to putting one over their neighbours, prompting first team manager Yan Cartman to urge his side to use it as a kick-start.

Ruskin have been beaten on three of the four occasions they’ve played at home to date, so Northwich – two places and a single point better off in the table – can make the trip with confidence.

Winnington had won 10 successive games in all competitions, a sequence that started in March, before last weekend’s narrow reverse.

They host fourth-placed Bowdon as they bid to start a new run.

Captain Harry Stubbs, while disappointed his team did not do themselves justice in the derby, rightfully argued that not too much is wrong.

Richard Dale, in possession, score all of Northwich's points in last Saturday's 15-9 success against neighbours Winnington Park in South Lancs/Cheshire Division One. Picture: NICK JONES

Rowers fly the flag for Northwich at British Senior Championships

THE draw for this weekend’s two-day British Senior Championships is a testament to the work done by coaches at Grange School and Northwich Rowing Clubs over the past few years.

A total of nine rowers who honed their craft at one of the town’s two clubs will be in action.

Two-time Olympic medallist Matthew Langridge, who represents Leander in the men’s four and eight, leads the contingent at the National Water Sports Centre in Nottingham.

Ed Grisedale and Tom Ford, part of Great Britain’s eight at the World Under 23s Championship in the summer, race for Oxford Brookes and Newcastle University respectively.

Emily, Ford’s younger sister, will be in Newcastle blue too.

Another former Grange School student, Rob Sherry, rows for Molesey in a four.

The rest – Tom Asteriades, Alex Bain, Finn Lawton and Luke Oszanlav-Harris – make their debut at the event in university crews.

Crunch time for Kellett

NORTHWICH ace Stuart Kellett takes part in the latest pair of Players’ Championship events at Crawley this weekend, when he seeks to add to his prize money total for 2014.

The 33-year-old has held on to his top 32 place in the Professional Darts Corporation Order of Merit this year following a fine breakthrough campaign in the previous 12 months.

However he is 40th in the one-year ProTour Order of Merit, so has work to do to secure a spot in the Players’ Championship finals at Minehead next month.

A repeat of his run to the last 16 in the first Players’ Championship tournament of the campaign at Barnsley in March, where he lost to James Wade, will go some way to doing that.

Kellett plays at the K2 Centre on Saturday and Sunday, both from midday.

Winsford’s Dave Bird, a first-timer on the PDC circuit this season, joins him.

Stuart Kellett has held on to his top 32 place in the Professional Darts Corporation Order of Merit during 2014. He is in action at Crawley this weekend. Picture: Lawrence Lustig/PDC