RUDRA Singh is determined to bring the good old days back to Blackburn Northern – and hopes to once again put the club at the heart of the community.

Singh, who is now 46, has taken up the role of cricket manager at Pleckgate Road and has moved swiftly to sign record breaking ex-professional Naeem Ashraf for the new season.

But that is only the tip of the iceberg as Singh looks to lift the profile and spirits of a club that went from champions in 2007 to a depressing third-from-bottom finish last year.

Singh, who works for the Lancashire Sport Partnership, is already making his mark after six years playing away from the area.

“My first priority is to act as cricket manager,” said Singh. “But I will play as well.

“Basically I am back as an administrator but the role encompasses many areas.

“I want to encourage as many youngsters through as I can and also entice back some of the older players who may have drifted away due to family commitments or other reasons.

“We are linking up with Pleckgate school and others in the area to try and bring new people to cricket and to develop the junior side to make it thriving.

“I also intend to liase between the league and the Lancashire Cricket Board and I have quite and ambitious agenda.

“I also want to bring the volunteers back.

“We have good people who volunteer and all clubs need those to flourish. If clubs don’t have people involved they cannot run or progress.

“There are a lot of good clubs in this area and I want them all to improve and grow.”