By Peter Stafford (March 1982) Back
In this series of articles, now stretching back over seven years, 1 have
usually begun each one by referring to the weather of the previous season. Not
that (lie weather is, in itself, a particularly interesting topic about which to
read, but purely because it is snore relevant to cricket than it is to almost
any other sport. Especially it might be said, when on the Firs( day of the
season some grounds its (lie Bolton League were lying tinder six inches of snow!
Those clubs north of the town centre were the hardest hit, and play was actually
possible at Little Lever, Kearsley, Farnworth and Westhoughton. What kind of
conditions prevailed at the latter three places I know not. What I do know is
(fiat the match played at Little Lever was reminiscent of times not too long ago
when we used to play there each Boxing Day, except that April 1981 was much,
much colder!
The Egerton and Eagley grounds provided most cause for worry, having had more
than their fair share of the deep and crisp and even. Fortunately, the weather
relented during the week following, and on the second Saturday of the season a
fisill Fixture list was completed, including games on the two grounds concerned.
As the season wore on, it became snore and more obvious that this was to be
Little Lever's year, at least in terms of the championship. Only if Horwich
really gave chase, and even they never managed to get nearer than nine points
away during the second half of (lie year. That they contrived to get so close
was as a result of the remarkable game at Little Lever on the first day of
August, in which Horwich completed a memorable double over the champions-to-be,
It was a remarkable game in that a bowler took part in an opening stand of over
200; a non-howler dismissed a current Test batsman; and a third player hit the
season's highest amateur individual score and yet finished on the losing side!
But this game will not only he remembered by Malcolm Warren, Nigel Hallows,
Mudassar Nazar and Geoff Marsh. It will be remembered long by all those
fortunate enough to have been there. Contested by the two top sides of 1981, it
was full of good players, excellent batting, and fine spirit, and was the finest
possible advertisement for Bolton League cricket. From this point on, the
villagers stretched their lead, until by August 29th they were out of sight, and
champions for the fifth time. The major achievements of their year are listed
more fully later in the book, but they were a team of awesome batting strength
which contained a fine professional and a spin bowler still capable of winning
the League Bowling Award at an age when most ordinary mortals are thinking in
terms of taking up howls and joining committees! Whether or not they will prove
strong enough to retain their championship depends very much on the avail~
ability of one or two key players. Geoff Marsh will not be coming over, and will
be missed both for his batsmanship and for his pleasant personality. At the time
of writing there seems to be some doubt about Ramadhin's fitness, and also about
Nigel Hallows chances of starting the season following his operation before
Christmas. It will he the hope of everybody that they will have all their
players fit and ready to start the defence of their title.
In contrast to 1980, only one of last year's eleven llanier Cup-ties
managed to produce an exciting Finish. That was (lie first-round match at Tonge,
where Farnworth reached the required 181 with only three balls remaining. That
they did so was largely due to Tyrone Knight, although Ainsworth and Ilill had
got the innings away to an excellent start with a fine opening stand. In the
other ties fleaton looked at one stage as though they might topple Keirsley
after Naylon had been largely responsible for their 107. After the Kearsley
reply had faltered to not-so-many for 5, it was David flayes, O'Brien and
Rawlinson who came (o the rescue. At Westboughton, Alan Thonias' batting and
Mike lloward's howling were the main fa ctors in Norwich's win, although
Westhoughton's innings got away to a good start via Sutton and Woods. But the
lost nine batsmen could only muster 26 between thein, and they fell 19 runs
short. In the remaining match at Astley Bridge, Eagley's 238 was 117 too many
for the home side, who fell to the spin of Dickinson and Elviss, after
Ilartley's century had been largely responsible for the Eagley score.
The second round was, like the first, plagued by rain. Only one game, that at
Farnworth, was completed at one sitting, and resulted in the easiest victory of
(lie whole competition, a ten-wicket win for Bradshaw. Walkden were well-beaten
by Kearsley, as were Eagley by Little lever. The remaining match, (hat at
Iforwich with Egerton the visitors, which had been the only one started on the
due date, developed into a marathon which required three periods of play spread
over Five days to complete. Hornby, Mir and Paul Tebay hit most of Egerton's I
SS, and once the stubborn stand between Thomas and Fleming had been broken, (he
end proved not far away.
The weather finally sorted itself out in time for the semi-Finals in which
Kearsley went to Bradshaw, whilst Egerton looked to have the harder task at
Little Lever. In the match at The Rigbys Kearsley remembered the old cricket
adage about using up the overs, but in so doing, forgot the bit about 'runs on
the board', consequently finishing up with 98 all out in 49.4 overs, leaving
Bradshaw a relatively simple task. In the other game Egerton raced away at
Little Lever with Tebay, Evans and Horriby providing the backing to Mir's
match-winning 127. For once in the season, the home sides batting proved unequal
to the job, the Mir's took five wickets each, and it was to be Bradshaw v
Egerton at Eagley.
Once again we were treated to the kind of weather that should be reserved for
Cup Finals. Neither side were favourites, for whilst Bradshaw occupied a
superior position in the table, Egerton had had by far the better of exchanges
in the two League matches between the sides, and had also put out stronger
opposition to get to the Final. One inconsequential item for the collector of
oddities was that Egerton fielded three pairs of brothers, the Mirs, the Tebays,
and Peter and Ian Moss, the lastnamed having created some kind of record by
having appeared in the Tatlock, Birtwistle and Hamer Cup Finals in the same
season.
Bradshaw, having won the toss, batted first, and at 111 for 9 probably wished
they hadn't. But now began an entertaining last-wicket partnership between
Helmstalk and Phil Isherwood of 54 which put their side back in with a chance.
Egerton made a poor start, when Evans and Tebay went cheaply, but slowly it was
becoming evident that this was to be Parvez Mir's day. fie had already collected
six wickets, and now, first in partnership with brother Shahid, and then on his
own, he began to assert Egerion's claim. Still, at 100 for 5 Bradshaw's hopes
were very much alive, but Mir kept things moving with fan Taylor and then with
fan Moss until rinally, a flurry of boundaries, and Egerton were there. Six wins
in their last six Final appearances with not a Final defeat since 1932, a record
unmatched by any other club.
The 1981 Greenall-Whitley Competition was memorable only for Little Lever.
Walkden, Westhoughton, and Tonge didn't survive the first round, Iforwich went
only one better, and it was left to Little lever to carry the League's fortunes
into the subsequent rounds. This they did, beating Vickerstown, Norley
fall and Ormskirk, before failing foul of Chorley in the quarter-final. Chorley
it was who had accounted for Tonge, and it was little consolation to know that
it was the bowling of our own Kei(h Eccleshare which had played a major part in
both these narrowest of defeats.
The Inter- League story of last season is brief and mostly unhappy. in the
Wilson's Trophy we were drawn at home to the Saddleworth League in Round One, a
side we had not met previously. The match was played at Bridgeman Park, and got
away to a satisfactory start for the home side when Hallows avid Rogers each
scored fifty during one of their several century stands of (lie season. Towards
the end of their partnership a straight drive from Rogers struck the bowler's
umpire, Tommy Wilson, a sickening blow on the back of the head as he turned
away, but thankfully, a visit to the Infirmary confirmed that he would be little
the worse for (tie incident. Around this time drizzle had begun to fill,
anillafter 32 overs (lie players find little option but to leave the (acid, with
the score standing m 153 for 6. The rain got steadily worse, and it soon became
apparent diat (lie 'bowl ofr demanded by (lie rules when no result is possible,
would have to be implemented. And so eventually it began. Ilad the team bowling
the most wides been deemed (lie winners, then we would have been won by a mile!
As it was, only batsman Coeof1Marsh, to his delight and to everyone else's
astonishment, bit the stumps. Two Saddleworth players did, and we were out of
the competition. Much was said in the local press about the devaluation of the
game when this rule comes into operation. But, to be fair, there just are not
the Sundays available for replays, and at least the affair is settled by some
kind of cricket competition rather than the farcical toss of a. coin.
Incidentally, the Saddleworth League went on to win the Trophy for the first
time, an outcome that can only be beneficial for the Competition as a whole and,
of course, for the Saddleworth lads in particular. We ofter them our very
sincere congratulations. Meanwhile, it would be remiss of me not to offer
Farnworth our thanks for the meticulous a rrangements on the day concerned, and
our commiserations as to the way things turned out for them. The same kind of
excellent organisation was well in evidence at Horwich for the Trinity Cup match
on a dry but cold 26th of July. Again the League baited first, and again, the
innings was dominated by one partnership, that by Tyrone Knight and Mudassar
Nazar for the fourth wicket which produced 125 runs after the League had been in
(lie doldrums at 27 for 3. Mudassar was superbly stumped by, Skeete off Paul
Tatton for 75, whilst Knight carried on to 77 before being just as memorably
caught by Jeff Shuttleworth. 208 for 7 looked adequate, but before any thoughts
of victory could be harboured, we all knew that Norman Jones and Ricky Skeete
had to be disposed of. Jones was, for 20, but Skeete went on to a fine 50 from
42 balls. When he was finally bowled by Mudassar, two short of the hundred he
had deserved, he had struck 6 6's and 9 4's, and the game was out of our reach.
Skeete gave only one chance, a horrible skier that went high enough to give us
all a minute's silence for the player underneath it. He had all our sympathy,
both before and after he had dropped it! Anwar Khan applied the finishing
touches after Skeete's dismissal, and whilst we consoled ourselves with the
sentiment that the only winner was the game of cricket, the hard fact was that
the Association had gone further ahead by 7 - 3 in the series, and deservedly
so.
Once again we had our sponsors to thank for the various competitions. Little
Lever C.C. for the Jubilee tournament, the Finals Day of which is fast becoming
one of the most eagerly anticipated days of the season. Last year's was as
enjoyable as any, the entertainment matched only by the usual excellence of the
arrangements. Tonge's semi-final win over Heaton was a rather simpler matter
than Little Lever's last over defeat of Egerton, and an intriguing Final saw
Tongeruin the host club's day by keeping control during the last few vital overs
to beat Little Lever and take the Trophy for the first time.
We are indebted to Stowells of Chelsea for the 'Team of the Month' whisky
awards, popular prizes for a popular competition. This year's winners were
Eagley, Little Lever, Bradshaw, Tonge and Kearsley.
The Townson Indoor Trophy was won by Heaton, a Fact that must have caused
satisfaction to most uncommitted spectators, in view of the length of time which
has elapsed since their last first-team success, The triumph came as something
ofa bonus for (heir Vice-Chairnian, Peter Edmondson, a( the end of a week when
lie had been elected to succeed George Bown as our League Chairman. Our best
wishes go forward with Warwick Milne and his tearn into the Lancashire Regional
Finals, whilst our thanks go to William Townson & Sons Ltd. for their continued
and vital sponsorship of this costly but enjoyable competition.
In spite of (he on-the-field frustrations of recent years, we remain most
grateftil to Trinity Paper Mills for the excellent series of matches against our
friends from the Bolton Association, especially in view of the recently
increased Financial rewards to be gained by the (wo leagues as a result of the
game. In the coming season the scene moves to Little Ifulton, and we shall all
pray for fine weather and for some kind of rule change that might enable us to
win now and again! Before that, of course, comes the Wilsons clash at
Westhotighton, a game that will be eagerly-awaited by the cricketing supporters
of both leagues, and a match which could well, given the right conditions,
produce the 'gate' of the season.
In expressing on behalf of all the players our appreciation of the umpires
services during 198 1, could 1 remind players that, no matter what might happen
in Test Matches in India where it seems to have become a case of'us and them',
the umpires in the Bolton League are our colleagues upon whom we depend for our
weekly matches. Our thanks are due to them, and to clubs'captains, for the fact
that, once again, we were ab le to enjoy a trouble-free year's cricket.
In last winter's Bolton League Quiz at Westhoughton, the J. E. Owens Cup was won
yet again by our welcome interlopers from the West Lancashire League, Hindley
St. Peters. In 1982 the event has been extended to include fourteen teams, all
of which necessitates even more work for our benefactors, Paul Gradwell, Karen
and Clive Knott. We thank them in advance, and look forward to this year's
competition in the hope that the quiz attracts the kind of support that its high
quality merits.
At the Annual General Meeting in January, we were faced with the resignations of
three of our League Officials. Geoff Warburton has looked after Under-Fifteen
affairs with great efficiency for five years. His place has been filled by
Bradshaw's Ray Taylor, who has for several years now shown an enthusiasm for
junior cricket which made him an almost automatic successor to Mr. Warburton.
Jack Holding has been Umpire's Secretary for a total of six years, and has coped
admirably with the various problems which are part and parcel of the position,
not least those concerning last-minute withdrawals combined with a general staff
shortage. He has organised Umpires Courses and has dedicated himself to the task
of raising the standards of local umpiring to the very high level of competence
which we now enjoy. We are fortunate to have Norman Lowe as a replacement who
has the same qualities.
At the conclusion of the A.G.M., a presentation was made, and tributes paid to
George Bown, whose last meeting it was after a ten-year period in the chair. Hee
has played hard and worked hard on behalf of the Bolton League for more years
than he would probably care to remember. As a fine batsman and club captain at
Farnworth he got a lot out of the game of cricket. As a conscientious club
official and League administrator he has probably put about three times the
amount back into it! Whatever his position, as captain or chairman, he has
always been one to lead by example, a virtue which has, over the years, won him
the respect of the players, cricket followers and committee collegues alike.
Our thanks are due to all these three gentlemen for the tremendous amount of
work that they have achieved on our behalf. May I add my personal gratitude for
their willing and valuable help over the years. Lastly, may I offer my
appreciation of all you efforts on behalf of your clubs, be you groundsmen,
barmen, secretaries, tea-ladies, league reps, or just plain cricket lovers. An
enjoyable and successful season to you all in 1982.