By Peter Stafford (March 1986) Back
If season 1984 went down into history as one of sun, runs and records, then
last year will be largely remembered for it's distinct lack of temperature, no
lack of rain, and postponements galore! Some good things, however, did emerge
from 1985. Both major competitions kept us in suspense right up to the last
over, two out of the three Inter-League trophies for which we play were won, and
several notable individual performances pushed their way into the record-books.
The League Championship itselt was literally undecided until the very last ball
of the season had been bowled. Had Farnworth's Andy Jones dislodged Greenmount's
last man, then the Bridgeman Park side would have retained their title. He
didn't, and i so the honours went to a jubilant Farnworth Social Circle team,
which, some twenty minutes previously, had beaten Heaton in a pulsating affair
over at Lower Pools.
Throughout the whole season the two Farnworth clubs had monopolised the top two
places in the League table. When they met at Bridge man Park halfway through the
season Andy Jones'7 for 34 was the main factor in the home side's one-run win,
whilst the all-round figures of Estwick and Sandiford in that match (79 runs out
of 106, and all 10 wickets between them) were fairly typical of the decisive
influence exerted by the two West Indians over Circle's performances in the
first half of the season. The single-run victory to Farnworth in that game
merely meant that the two teams switched places at the top, giving Brian
Wallwork's side a one-point advantage at that stage. It was that close for
more-or-less the whole of the season, and, sure enough, when the rivals met for
the second time on September 7th, a rain-affected draw left Farnworth still only
a point clear, so setting up the circumstances for the final showdown on the
last day of the season. But if Estwick and Sandiford played the leading roles in
securing the championship in only the club's second season in the League, and
only a fool would deny that this was so, then it must also be said that of the
17 matches in which Circle had the better of their opponents, there were twelve
occasions when this would not have been the case without substantial, and often
matchwinning contributions from one or other of the remaining nine players.
Mcllwraith, Edwards, Hayes, Nuttall, Craig and the rest will each remember games
during which their efforts were crucial to success. The two West Indians shared
over 1, 100runs and nearly 200 wickets, and yet again the side with the most
productive opening attack in the League had ended the season as champions.
Farnworth won the Hamer Cup for the seventh time in their illustrious history,
completing an impressive double for the town. In their bid to retain the League
title they were offered no favours by neighbouring Little Lever, who beat them
twice, whilst a surprise August defeat at the hands of Bradshaw, then third from
the bottom of the table, would have been looked back upon with some sadness. But
all in all, they enjoyed a fine season, and much of this was thanks to the
excellent all-round form of professional Rod Tucker, who hit over 900 runs and
took 73 wickets, whilst Andy Jones' 82 wickets won for him the League Bowling
Prize. Martin Axford had his best-ever season with the bat, hitting 613 runs,
and Phil Hall's 34 wickets were obtained almost as cheaply as those of the
previous season, when he won the League Prize.
Westhoughton and Tonge joined the two Farnworth teams in qualifying for this
year's Green all- Whitley Trophy, finishing as they did in third and fourth
place. Both were well served by their Indian Test professionals during their
abbreviated stay, whilst for Westhoughton, lain Hill bore the brunt of the
attack on his young shoulders and came out of it well, his 79cheap wickets
constituting anew club record. Brother Graham's 651 runs were important, as were
Nigel Partington's 589 for Tonge.
The first round of the Hamer Cup produced a lot of good cricket and no shortage
of runs. Horwich were crushed by Bradshaw, for whom Geoff Black bum took 8 for
35, whilst Little Lever fell only twelve runs short of Astley Bridge's 228.
Goodram and Ray Eccleshare each hit a half-century for the Bridge, with Duxbury
and Long replying for the home side, whilst Karl Krikken's three stumpings from
the bowling of Keith Eccleshare caused something of a talking-point. Eagley lost
at Walkden after having hit 182. Walkden seemed to have lost their way as five
cheap wickets went down, but recovered as, on a cold cheerless evening in front
of only a handful of spectators, Paul Berry played one of the best innings ever
seen from a junior cricketer. Not only did he score an unbeaten 44, but somehow
found the time to talk Paul Killey into staying with him long enough for the
pair to see their side into Round Two. Another unfinished partnership by
Heaton's two Australians, Shipperd and Paul Tucker, eased their team through at
the expense of Westhoughton, for whom Harrison's 59 proved to be of no avail.
Farnworth Social Circle went through easily against a disappointing Greenmount,
whilst Egerton caused something of an upset by putting an end to Tonge's cup
hopes in spite of an excellent all-round performance from Sharma, thanks largely
to the bowling of Taylor and Waugh.
Each of Round Two's four ties was won by the side batting first. The eventual
winners, Farnwoth, joined in, having been favoured with a First Round bye, and
Tucker and Jones shot Heaton to a 28-run defeat after Farnworth had been bowled
out by Dave Wallwork for a meagre 117. Kearsley, aided and abetted by deputy
professional Mike Watkinson who took 6 for 20, easily overcame Walkden, whilst
Egerton continued on their merry way, disposing of Astley Bridge by 31 runs.
Waugh had another good day, following his 57 by taking five wickets, although it
was Ken Dickinson who took the best four Bridge wickets early on in the innings.
The closest finish occurred at Bradshaw where, in the face of some fine bowling
by Jim Mitchinson, Farnworth Social Circle fell only two runs short of the home
side's 161.
Bradshaw were drawn at home once more in the semi-final, this time to Egerton,
and on one of the few genuine summer days of 1985, lan Moss added considerably
to Egerton's discomfiture by accounting for 7for his ex-team mates for 43. The
visitors 134 was generally thought to be inadequate, and yet at 15 for 2
Bradshaw were beginning to breathe hard! But Brian Cole and Neil Senior, the old
and new guard at the Rjgbys, shared a century partnership, and Bradshaw moved
into a Hamer Cup Final for the twelfth time, in which they would meet the
winners of an intriguing-looking ticover at Kearsley. The home club had engaged
West Indian Franklyn Stephenson as deputy professional, and, true to form, he
managed to capture seven Farnworth scalps before tea. But Paul Sharrocks (50)
and Brian Wallwork (45) had stood firm, and 166 was a not unimpressive total.
Kearsley collapsed badly to Jones and Tucker, Stephenson was disastrously run
out, and in the end 81 runs spelt out the difference between the old rivals.
But if the weather had been kind to the competition up to this point, it turned
its full venom towards the Final. August 4th was the date of the first attempt,
September 5th was the date when the last ball was bowled! In between, everyone
lost count of the postponements, and eventually the game was switched from a
rain-sodden Egerton to a somewhat drier West houghton where, thirty two days and
several sacks of sawdust later, the game was completed. And what a game it
turned out to be! Farnworth's 154 for 9 contained a fine 53 from Tucker, and
some excellent bowling from Man-of-the-Match Jim Mitchinson, who took 7 for 69.
Blackburn and Neil Senior made early runs for Bradshaw, and with Moss and
Mitchinson starting the final evening's play needing just 40 from twelve overs
with six wickets in hand, it seemed to be going their way. 21 were obtained from
the first eight overs, but the run-rate had slowed, and with a further 19
required from the last four overs, the match was delicately poised. At this
stage Wallwork asked Phil Hall to bowl the final two overs from the end at which
Tucker had operated throughout the innings, and when Mitchinson was bowled by
his first delivery, aiming a blow over mid-wicket, the game had tilted in
Farnworth's favour. And when Moss's fine innings ended soon after in exactly the
in same manner, it was suddenly all over. Hall had taken 3 for 4 in his two
overs whilst Jones, possibly more importantly, had bowled superbly from the
pavilion end unchanged, and had taken 4 for 55 from his 25 overs. It had been
one of the great Finals, and will hopefully be remembered for the fine cricket
that it produced, rather than for the rain which had so bedevilled it.
If Greenmount's senior side suffered a season that will be best forgotten, then
the second team competitions brought considerable consolation to the club in the
shape of both the championship and the Birtwistle Cup. Maiden, Butterworth,
Stansfield, the Vernons and the Kays produced the bulk of the runs whilst Leach
and Akram shared 117 wickets, in a season during which Roger Foy's fine side
never looked anything other than eventual double-winners. Runners-up Little
Lever put on a spurt towards the end which saw them take 30 points from the last
six matches, but even this kind of finish left them six points adrift, and Brian
Hardman's team had to be content with an easily-won Special Competition. Roy
Costello, who hit 742 runs in 1984, went 117 better last season, and deservedly
won the League Batting Prize, whilst Bradshaw's Dave Morris, with 60 cup and
league wickets, took the other major second team award, the fourth consecutive
year in which he has won some sort of League Bowling Prize. Social Circle's Jon
Partington was the top wicket-keeper, Chris Naylon and Andy Cumberbath produced
the best Individual Performances, and the catching prize was shared by Ian
Settle and Alan Hall.
The majority of first team awards went to overseas players. Greenmount's Keith
Bradshaw, Andy Jones of Farnworth, and Vie Sandiford won those for batting,
bowling, and fielding respectively, whilst Australians Stephen Day and Mark
McPhee shared that for the Highest Individual Score. Sandiford, not unnaturally,
was Player of the Year, and this general pre-eminence of overseas players in
1985yet again brought sharply into focus a point of discussion which is not the
least of the League's current problems. Karl Krikken rounded off an excellent
season's work by winning the wicket-keeping prize, the first time that any
senior award has been won by a junior player. The other first-team players to
distinguish themselves in 1985 were Neil Senior, with a record shattering 41
six-hits, Kearsley's Martin Worthington for his 8 for 40 against Astley Bridge,
and Bob Waller from Little Lever, who twice during the season hit 23-minute
half-centuries. Off the field, Eagley's Geoff Cleworth took his twelfth
scorebook award, whilst Donna Holden's Westhoughton second team book was
adjudged the best for the second year running.
On August 17th, the Walkden professional. Parvez Mir, shattered the League
Individual record when he took an unbeaten 219 from the Kearsley attack, as his
team stretched the record for an innings to 317. Mir exceeded 1,000 runs for the
fifth time in his nine Bolton League seasons, taking 74 wickets into the
bargain. As a result of all this, he was awarded a Professionals Prize for which
there was no shortage of contenders. Mark Waugh, for example, hit 1,359 runs for
Egerton and took 59 wickets. This third-highest run aggregate in the League's
history, let it be remembered, was accumulated during a season not specially
noted for its hard batting surfaces! Keith Eccleshare made a welcome and highly
successful return to the League, taking 110 wickets for Astley Bridge, six less
than his main rival in that department, Rod Estwick, whilst at Bradshaw, Geoff
Blackburn maintained his 1984 standards with 892 runs and 75 wickets. Eagley's
Richard Powell enjoyed a purple patch in July, when he took 39wickets in seven
matches, finishing with 73 to add to his 500 runs. Amongst the amateurs it was
good to see the fine progress made by some of the younger batsmen. In addition
to Axford, Berry, Senior, Hill and Partington, already mentioned, Mike Bennison
and Alan Gaskell each topped 600 for the first time, Dave Sumner made his mark
at Egerton, and Brent Richards hit over 300 in his eleven completed innings, so
underlining his future value to Eagley. Walkden's John Smith took 50 wickets for
the f irst time, and was rewarded with a place in the League side, whilst Ian
Moss made giant strides with both bat and ball and, as a result, has moved up a
grade as Astley & Tyldesley's 1986 professional.
Perhaps the most striking feature of the Inter-League season so far as the
Bolton League was concerned, was the way in which, on each of the three
occasions, a healthy depth in batting rescued the side from a poor start. Sadly,
in the opening match at Bradshaw against the Saddleworth League in the Dukes
Lancashire Inter-League Trophy, the rescue act was in vain. From a distastrous
20 for 3, Warwick Milne and skipper Roland Gee pulled the position round to take
the score into the 90's before Gee was out. Milne unfortunately fell one short
of what would have been a much-deserved half-century on his first appearance,
but then Senior, Dave Wallwork, Hall and particularly lan Moss played well
enough to ensure a final score of 180, reasonably respectable if not exactly
impregnable. But then the bowlers performed well below par, and only Gee, who
took 1 for 17 from his ten overs, caused the visitors any problems, and a fine
Tomkinson century saw the Saddleworth League home and dry with seven overs to
spare.
On August Bank Holiday Monday the Edwin Taylor Memorial Trophy was regained from
the Central Lancashire League at Walkden. This time the bowling was a
much-improved affair. Smith, Hall, Gee and Hill all took wickets, but it was
Warwick Milne who caused the collapse, taking as he did 4 for 21 in the middle
of the visitors innings. 126 was the requirement, but again the League got away
to the worst possible start. In spite of a solid 31 from Steve Woods, the
innings slumped to 44for 5, and it was only when the Bradshaw pair, Neil Senior
and Ian Moss came together that things slowly began to improve. Batting with
growing confidence, the two added the necessary 84 without being parted, Senior
contributing 46 and Moss 35.
The Trinity Cup match had been postponed from the last Sunday in July to
September 15th, and eventually proved the best of the three games. The
Association reached 151 for 7 in their allotted overs, during which Estwick and
Mir only conceded 36 from their joint 20 overs. Ex-League player Tony Settle
held the visitors innings together with an undefeated 57, and then, yet again,
the League's early batting folded as the first six wickets went down for only
78. But once more it was lan Moss who came to the rescue, being unbeaten for the
third time, on this occasion for a match-winning 37, an innings for which he was
rightly adjudged Man-of-the-Match. Estwick, Eceleshare and Tim Wallwork each
helped the late cause with a brief but effective innings, and the Trinity Cup
was retained with just seven balls remaining to level the series at 7-V Again
the League's depth in batting had proved vital, and was typified by the
performances of Moss who, selected primarily as a bowler, had gone a long way
towards ensuring the two victories as a batsman. The three clubs who staged the
matches did so admirably and are deserving of our thanks, especially, perhaps,
Farnworth who had, like Walkden and Bradshaw, made all the right arrangements,
only to see the chance of any real profit on the day washed away by the tide!
On the same topic, any thoughts of the Evening News/Greenall Whitley Cup-Winners
Trophy mach between Farnworth and Adlington were abandoned until the start of
1986, such were the prevailing conditions in late-August and early-September.
Later in September, however, the Jubilee Finals were once again blessed with
reasonable weather, and Heaton once more stamped their authority on the
competition, winning the Trophy for the third time in four years.
In the first of the two semi-finals Horwich produced the top score of the day as
they beat Astley Bridge fairly comfortably, whilst Heaton only made it to the
Final by virtue of having lost fewer wickets than Farnworth Social Circle in a
tied match. But they made no mistake in the Final, dismissing Horwich for 82.
Milne had the remarkable Jubilee figures of 5 for 120 from his five allotted
overs, and then Dave Wallwork followed his semi-final top score with another in
the Final, an unbeaten 35 which gave his side victory with five overs to spare.
Westhoughton's became the seventh different name to be engraved on* the
Townson Indoor Trophy during the nine years of its existence. They beat Kearsley
in a one-sided Final, but then fell at the first hurdle to Droylsden as they
progressed into the N.C.A. Competition. We are, of course, grateful to Williarn
Townson & Sons ltd. for their continued sponsorship of this much-enjoyed
competition, and live in the hope that it will go on for many years to come. I
am equally appreciative of the efforts and efficiency of Fred Elmore, who
organised the whole thing. Thanks, too, are due to the Little Lever club for the
reliable effort which, each year, is put into the Jubilee Trophy. These two
competitions have become very much a regular and eagerly-anticipated part of the
League's calendar, and we would be so much the poorer without them.
Around Christmas time we were officially informed of Vaux Breweries' decision to
withdraw their sponsorship from the League. This news was not greeted with any
real surprise, but nevertheless we are grateful to them for the support they
have provided over the past two years. Into their place has stepped the Georgian
House Hotel, which will provide us with sponsorship during 1986 and, should
things work out to their satisfaction, 1987. We hope that the partnership will
be a mutually rewarding one. It is especially pleasing that we should be
associated with
a local company, and we extend our thanks to the Directors of the Hotel, and to
Bradshaw's Peter Legg, who is our point of contact, in particular.
Which leaves me only to thank everyone else for all your efforts of the past
twelve months. To the ladies who, if they are not thanked each week by visiting
teams, ought to be; to our umpires, who perform a difficult job extremely
conscientiously; to those who look after our grounds, and what a thankless task
theirs was in 1985; to the press, to our scorers and tally-boys, and finally to
all my fellow officials at both club and league level. To all of you, a
successful and enjoyable 1986.