IAN Austin comes 'home' tomorrow when he turns out for Haslingden, the side he began his cricket career with as a teenager.

'Oscar', now 34, made his debut for the senior side as a fresh-faced 16-year-old against Colne and scored his first half-century for the club 24 hours later against Ramsbottom.

Four years on he signed for Lancashire where he has spent the last 15 years.

Locally, there has always been an expectation that Austin would return but the man himself said it wasn't that simple.

"I didn't always think I would come back," he said. "It didn't really cross my mind until this season.

"I thought when I finished playing I might come back as an amateur but to come back as the pro puts it in a bit of a different light."

Lancashire only offered all-rounder Austin a contract to play only one-day matches this year, freeing him up for a stint in the local scene.

"I was a little bit disappointed at the contract situation at Lancs but it is just the way things turned out.

"It's fine, I can understand why they have done it, I understand the reasons behind bringing in some of the younger lads." The clash of fixtures was thought to be minimal.

"I'll be free whenever Lancs aren't playing and looking at the fixture list they won't clash too much.

"Sorting things out with Lancs was the biggest stumbling block, it took a while to sort everything out, who would get priority and things like that."

Austin still holds the Lancashire League record, established in 1985, for the most runs scored by an amateur in a single game, 149 not out against Church.

But he won't let the pressure get to him.

"It does and doesn't put pressure on," he said. "It has been very easy to slide back into it because I know most of the people involved. There are a lot of faces down there that I recognise, a lot of peoiple I knew from before who are now more established in the side.

"I try not to let the pressure bother me -- I haven't lost any sleep over it put it that way.

"I am still in and out of things down at Lancashire, I am taking things as they come, taking each couple of weeks at a time."

The only downpoint so far has been the weather!

"I hope the weather picks up. I can see a lot of teams going into their first game not having been able to go outside.

"It will be a poor start to the season if teams get rained off and other teams play and everyone else is playing catch up.

"That will be unfortunate there's not going to be enough dates to re-arrange fixtures.

"Some teams will be getting two points when others are getting 10. And it is impossible to catch up. You have to have a bit of luck.

"But I would think our chances are pretty decent, I would hope we'll be somewhere there or there abouts.

"If we can make a reasonable start, if we can get started at all get a few wins in get confidence up you never know. I have played against some of the other pros in the league, like Shaun Young at Bacup. "I think Ramsbottom will be close because they went close last year. Rishton should be strong again and obviously Bacup won't want to give up their title without a fight."

Fixtures: Burnley v Haslingden, Church v Lowerhouse, Colne v Todmorden, East Lancs v Nelson, Enfield v Bacup, Ramsbottom v Accrington, Rawtenstall v Rishton.