Fit-again skipper Chris Hares leads Whitchurch into battle at Stoke on Saturday – as close as the Reds get to a local derby in Midlands One West – as they target further progress up the league table.
Hares, absent since the early weeks of the season after suffering a fractured leg, enjoyed a successful first team comeback in last weekend’s 30-6 victory over Camp Hill, a match illuminated by a well taken hat-trick from winger Tom Crank.
Now he will be determined to lead the Edgeley Park men to another two points in the Potteries as Whitchurch strive to put together a winning run. “Stoke haven’t had a particularly good season,” said Whitchurch president John Gregory. “They’re near the bottom of the table and there’s only Cheltenham North below them.
“This is as close as we get to having a local derby and it’s another game we’re looking forward to.”
Gregory added it was a boost to have the influential Hares back leading the side. “He would have been back earlier had the games not been called off since Christmas,” he said. “He played a game for the second team on December 12 and it’s nice to see him back.”
By Stuart Dunn