Skipper Rob Keen is targeting a top-three finish for Bury after the frustration of being knocked out of the HC Smith Trophy on a bowl-out at the weekend.

Keen believed his side would progress in the cup competition against Winton, and is now hoping to use the disappointment of not reaching the quarter-finals to spur the Manchester Association outfit on over the second half of the campaign.

"With no disrespect to Winton, we thought we could beat them and we would then have had a winnable game in the quarters," said Keen. "To have an obvious path to the semi-final taken away from you by the weather is a difficult pill to swallow.

"It was quite surreal to see a bowl-out. It is the first time I have ever been involved in one, and it is not a nice way to finish a game.

"The wet weather has been a thorn in our side all season. We seem to have been stop-start and we have even struggled to fit net sessions in and that has shown when we have got out on the pitch.

"We have got a quality professional over this season and it is frustrating that we haven't been able to see him out in the middle as much as we would have liked because of the weather."

Asif Zakir is the professional at Radcliffe Road this season, and the 23-year-old Pakistan all-rounder has impressed in his limited time at the club by hitting 417 runs at a healthy average of 46.

"Asif has shown that he is a good player already," said Keen. "When we signed him, we were told that he is one of the best players in Pakistan yet to be capped - and you can see why.

"He has come in and adapted really well to the conditions. It can't be easy coming from the dusty pitches in Pakistan to the slow, low and wet wickets at Bury, but he has done that easily.

"He is also a really useful bowler. He comes on in the middle of the innings with his off-spin and he usually slows down the other team by taking wickets. I just wish the rain would relent and we could see some more of him."

Should the rain clouds disperse, Keen has challenged his side to improve on last season's mid-table finish and bag a top-three place come September.

And he will be looking at some of the younger members in the squad to help him do that.

He added: "We had six players under the age of 18 in our side a few weeks ago. That especially pleased me because I have seen some of these lads come to the club as 12 and 13-year-olds and watched their development into top players.

"Amaar Baig and John McGahan are both in the Lancashire set-up, and then there are players like Kevin Tebay and Nick Spruce."

Bury are also hoping for a good showing in the Bury and District Twenty20 competition. Keen's side play host to Greenmount and Darcy Lever in the group stage on August 5 - and the skipper insists he is confident of progressing.

"You'll probably find that every captain fancies their chances, and we are no different," said Keen. "Anything can happen in Twenty20 and we really enjoy the format. It should be a good day for the players and spectators alike."