SOUTH African all-rounder Billy Stelling is playing mind games - but they are of a far different sort than those employed by Alex Ferguson to destabilise Manchester United's rivals, writes PETER WHITE.

And the East Lancs professional is hoping that his club does not have to play too much "Catch-up" cricket this summer. Stelling, who successfully launched his second EW Cartons Lancashire League season with victory over Nelson, believes firmly in the values of team spirit and positive thinking.

And he feels East Lancs could have got the balance right, as they attempt to better last season's championship near-miss when they were pipped by Rishton.

The Blackburn side, runaway winners over Nelson on the opening day, will need to ensure everything clicks against Haslingden at Alexandra Meadows tomorrow, as their professional acknowledged.

"This is one of our biggest games of the season and it is so important to get off to a good start," he said.

"Haslingden are a very good side and their amateur back-up is very strong.

"But the team are very determined to do well this season. There is a great spirit, not only in the first team, but throughout the whole club.

"I am getting very positive vibes about everything. And the key to winning has got to be the mental approach.

"It was very disappointing for everybody in the club to just miss out on the league last year.

"But we were always playing catch-up cricket. You need to get a good start in the league and, by July, it will probably start to take shape.

"The team which makes the least mistakes wins."

There's a widely-held view that professionals often benefit too when they return for a second season, with the league no longer such an unfamiliar scene. On that score, watch out for fireworks from Stelling who created a good impression last summer when he took 75 wickets and hit nearly 600 runs.

Rishton have a young all-rounder from Old Trafford, Darren Shadford, as substitute professional when they go to Colne where record-breaker Ben Johnson is looking for his first big score of the season.

Nelson and Burnley also field subs, because of the late arrivals of their South African professionals.

Nelson have yet to find a pro for the weekend, while Burnley will have Lancashire's Richard Green on duty against Accrington at Turf Moor, with Rudra Singh deputising again on Sunday.

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