THERE will be a clearer picture of the Marston's County League Division One promotion race after this weekend – when Rolls-Royce fit in their game in hand.

Royces are at home to Swarkestone tomorrow, then visit Matlock on Sunday.

They start the weekend 11 points behind leaders Aston-on-Trent and will hope to build an advantage over their rivals before the two meet on the last Saturday of the season in September.

Not surprisingly, Rolls-Royce captain Naeem Akhtar is not looking that far ahead.

But the vastly-experienced seamer, who spent five years in the Derbyshire Premier League with Sandiacre Town and another year with Dunstall, is certainly relishing the challenge of leading a predominantly Asian team to the top division for the first time.

“I'm always looking one game ahead, rather than any further,” said Akhtar, who is now 40 and who took 323 wickets during 14 seasons of first-class cricket in Pakistan.

“This is a big weekend for us and, if we could win both games, we would have a very good chance of finishing on top of the division, even though there is still a long way to go.

“It would be a great feeling to take this team into the Premier League.

“I may have been playing a long time but I still have the hunger to do something in the game.

“I think I'm perhaps too old to play but I train hard and I just love cricket. As long as I still do, I'll carry on.”

Akhtar has made his home in Britain and recognises that it would be quite something if Rolls-Royce and Aston, both featuring players plucked largely from the local Asian community, were to get promoted.

“It would be a great achievement for the Asian community and I would like to be part of it,” he said.

“I'm enjoying this season and I think I get good respect from the community because I played first-class cricket for quite a while before coming to England to play.”

According to Mohammed Malooq, Rolls-Royce's previous captain, who now has a role as director of cricket, Akhtar's influence has been immeasurable – the factor that has transformed a good side into a title-challenging one.

“We've known Naeem all the time that he has been playing locally,” said Malooq.

“He lives in the community and we look up to him.

“It's no secret that we were asking him to come and play for us for two or three years before he said yes and he has made a tremendous difference to the side.”

Akhtar is too modest to agree directly that that is the case but there is little doubt that his nagging seam bowling – he is more like a traditional English seamer than most Englishmen – has tipped the balance.

Indeed, Akhtar has taken 41 wickets so far – a third of all those Rolls-Royce have taken – at an average of 9.9.

The batting, meanwhile, has been led by the prolific Muhammed Sultan, whose 888 runs so far is his best for three seasons.

He is well on target to pass the 1,000 runs he made in each of his first two seasons with the club, in 2004 and 2005.

“What I'm trying to do is help them play in a more professional way,” said Akhtar.

“I know that they aren't professionals but the club itself is very well organised and there's no reason why we can't try to be more professional on the field.

“I think, slowly, we're getting there.”

Unpredictable Swarkestone are potentially dangerous opponents tomorrow.

They have eschewed an overseas player this year as they conserve resources for ground improvements and know that they cannot be promoted this season but they possess a powerful batting line-up and are currently running in fourth place in Division One.

Rolls-Royce's main promotion rivals, Aston-on-Trent, are at home to Shipley Hall.

In the Derbyshire Premier League tomorrow, leaders Ockbrook & Borrowash will look to put more space between themselves and the chasers at home to Chesterfield, who pulled off an excellent win over Ilkeston Rutland last week.

Defending champions Spondon aim to consolidate their second place at home to Lullington Park, who welcome back Ahmed Amla, who has been captaining South Africa A in Australia for a month.