SETTLE Cricket Club feel that Lady Luck was not smiling on them as the first leg of a potential treble disappeared.

They lost the Houldsworth Ribblesdale League's Ramsbottom Cup final by 88 runs to Oswaldtwistle Immanuel at Ribblesdale Wanderers, with Settle skipper Andrew Davidson saying: "The rub of the green definitely wasn't on our side.

"There were six questionable decisions, and four of them went against us and two for us."

Oswaldtwistle made 168-7, skipper Daniel Sartori hitting 72 as Settle's Hassan Fazal, Saud Ahmed and professional Imran Khalid each took two wickets.

The underdogs, aided by outstanding slip catching, then claimed their first Ramsbottom Cup triumph by restricting Settle to 80, Khalid controversially being given out when he was 16, with Tom Strickland (14) being the only other player into double figures as man of the match Andreas Sudnik took advantage of the conditions to return 6-12.

Davidson said: "We bowled well and were happy to have bowled them out for 168 as it was a 200-track really, and then we lost two quick wickets and didn't really recover. Andreas is a good bowler and hit the seam."

As for Khalid's dismissal, Davidson added: "He was 'caught' down the leg-side but he is a gentleman and wouldn't have reacted if he thought he was out."

Settle's 'bad luck' was not restricted to Sunday, however, as Senior League pacesetters Clitheroe apparently had a large slice of good fortune on Saturday in their derby with Wanderers.

Davidson said: "Clitheroe's professional (Janaka Gunaratne) was bowled for a duck, with the ball clipping the off stump, but the keeper was standing up and the square-leg umpire thought the ball had rebounded off the stumper's pads. He then hit six sixes off the final over of the innings."

Second-placed Settle kept up their challenge with a four-wicket victory at Padiham. Davidson senior said: "We are 11 points behind Clitheroe and play them at their place on August 22. If we keep on winning then the title is ours."

Settle are also involved in the Twenty20 finals day on Monday, August 31 at Great Harwood, which also involves the hosts, Reed and Cherry Tree.