STAR man Vinit Indulkar is leading Walshaw's double assault on glory this season.

The Sycamore Road side face their most important three days of the campaign.

The Tottington club take on Tonge in their rearranged Lancashire Knockout quarter-final tomorrow - and then face two of their title rivals, Little Hulton and reigning champions Elton, over the weekend.

With just 18 points separating the top six teams in the Bolton Association, Walshaw, flying high in fourth, are in hot pursuit of a seventh league title.

And with Indulkar, pictured above, in superb form - the Indian professional tops both batting and bowling averages - no one is betting against Walshaw bringing home two pieces of silverware.

"It's a big, big weekend," said the 22-year-old, who has struck 620 runs this term, averaging more than 60 and has taken 18 wickets. "We play Tonge in the cup and then the top two teams in the league. Those games will decide where we finish this season.

"We've had a run where we haven't played for two or three weeks, and that has allowed other teams, who played and won, to catch up.

"But the league is really open this year. Elton haven't been as strong this year - they were unbeatable last season - and there are now four of five teams who can win it."

Indulkar, who has played 18 first class games for Mumbai back home alongside Test stars Sachin Tendulkar, Zaheer Khan and Wasim Jaffer, has been ably supported by his team-mates.

Talented duo, captain Rob Faulkner (430 runs and 28 wickets) and Jason Whittaker (292 runs and 31 wickets), continue to impress with bat and ball, but it is the club's teenagers who have impressed the pro most.

"Alec Roughley, Gav Nichol, Jamie Pilling and Nick Murphy have all done brilliantly for us this season," said Indulkar, in his second campaign with Walshaw. "They have played nearly all the games and have been the main reason for our improvement.

"The average age of the team is 21 or 22. There are not many clubs who can say that they have five or six 16 or 17-year-olds in the team. In fact, I can't think of any other side in the league who has that many youngsters.

"That's what has been most satisfying for me this year; seeing and playing alongside all the youngsters.

"And that's why Walshaw have a really bright future. If we have all these players doing well now, just think how much better the club will be doing in two or three years."

Indulkar, who will return to Sycamore Road next year, is determined to be part of that, though he has made no secret of his desire to make his mark on the biggest stage.

"I'm really happy at Walshaw but I would love to play for my country," he admitted. "I'll be going back to India to play first-class cricket at the end of the season and I will see how it goes.

"Every first-class cricketer dreams of playing county cricket and I'm no different. I just want to play as high a standard as possible."