VEKA Ribblesdale League strugglers Baxenden are hoping it's third time lucky after appointing Back Lane stalwart David Usher as their new skipper.

Usher takes over the job held by Kevin Jelley and then temporarily by professional Jonathan Harvey to make it a hat-trick of captains inside the first three months of the season.

"Kevin had had enough with his work commitments and then the pro did it for a couple of weeks," explained Usher.

"But you want your pro to turn up every week and score runs and take wickets, which is hard enough to do without having to think about everybody else.

"Nobody else wanted to do it so I took it on for the rest of the season to help the youngsters through."

Usher has captained at his previous clubs, Bacup and Woodbank, and as a former professional at Baxenden has all the credentials for the job.

He takes over a side which has managed just four league wins this summer and which suffered a Castlemaine XXXX Ramsbottom Cup upset at the hands of Whalley on Sunday, despite a century from Harvey.

"We made 217, which on their big field is a good score, but they batted very well," admitted Usher, who can at least try and gain a measure of revenge when Baxenden return to Station Road on Saturday for the first leg of this weekend's double-header.

And despite the on and off-the-field difficulties, Usher is upbeat about the remainder of the campaign.

"We want to drag ourselves into the top half of the table," he added.

"Apart from Read I think everybody is capable of beating each other in the league and we have a decent side, if we play to our potential. We have a good pro and I've got to get everybody together."

As well as all-rounder Harvey, Usher can call on the services of brother Peter, who has run into form, and a crop of promising young players who will be given every chance to flourish.

Nineteen-year-old Danny Hothersall top-scored in last Saturday's win over Oswaldtwistle Immanuel, when 16-year-old Callum Waddington also made 43, while left-arm spinning all-rounder Gary Sudworth, 16, and 20-year-old wicket-keeper Russell Haworth have also made telling contributions.

"We're not really going to do anything in the league this year so we want to concentrate on trying to bring the youngsters through. We want to bat them up the order and if they bowl, give them a bowl," said Usher, who may drop down the batting order himself this weekend because of a hamstring strain.

Baxenden's fortunes would appear to be in safe hands, and while Usher landed the captaincy rather by default, it's a challenge he intends to enjoy.

"It's a good club to play for," he said. "There's no pressure and they let you get on with the job. And with the youngster we have got in the side, when they do well it's satisfying."