WITH a month of the cricket season to go, we find the sports pages full of Premiership soccer. But we hope we can still grab some of the headlines, because Lancashire are going great guns in the top competitions.

This week we are fighting to stay on top of the Liverpool Victoria County Championship as we host Middlesex. And, of course, on August 26 we hope to revive memories of the club's golden days as kings of one-day cricket when we take on Sussex in the Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy final at Lord's.

It has been a tough season for the players. Injuries and England call-ups have taken their toll.

I find it astonishing that we have continued to do so well despite losing so many experienced men at certain stages of the summer.

That is a great credit to the younger ones who have come through, and the way they have been handled by the management.

Triumphed

If my arithmetic is correct, we have used 22 players so far in first-class and one-day cricket, a surprisingly high figure compared to several other Championship-winning counties in recent years.

Sussex basically got through the entire season with just 15 when they triumphed three years back. Three others each made one appearance for them, but usually Sussex were able to rely on a small squad.

We are in a totally different position, partly because we continually produce England players.

Even if Jimmy Anderson had been fit, he would probably have been unavailable for large chunks of the season because of international duties.

Obviously we don't bank on seeing much of Andrew Flintoff, while Sajid Mahmood has made a big breakthrough into the England ranks, Glen Chapple hurt himself on his ODI debut and was sidelined for a while, and Brad Hodge had to leave us midway through the summer to play for Australia A and then to take part in a training camp.

With injuries to other players, added to our determination to compete well in all competitions and we now approach the run-in with so much still to play for.

On the subject of Freddie, it will be nice to see him next week at the Asda Challenge match at Old Trafford.

He can't play, of course, because he is recovering from his ankle injury, but I'm sure he will make his presence felt.

What do you think? Have your say.

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