By Peter Stafford (March 2007) Back
Since joining the Bolton League in 1984, Greenmount, in their 23 seasons have, at senior and junior levels, won no fewer than 57 winners and runners‑up trophies. However, their first team players have probably spent the recent winter months kicking themselves for having failed to add to that total in the 2006 season!
When they went into the Harrier Cup Final at Farnworth in late August they were joint league leaders with Walkden, but, in spite of their having been strong favourites, they were comprehensively overcome by the generally unfancied Tonge side. Again, going into the final 'double‑header' weekend of the season they were four points clear of Walkden at the top of the table, but a three‑wicket defeat in the first of those two games, again ironically enough at Farnworth, scuppered their chances of the league title. Walkden, on the other hand, sailed through their final two matches to claim the championship for the third time in six seasons. Mike Bennison's side were good value for their triumph, and a glance at the final League Bowling averages reveals that five Walkden players finished in the top thirteen, each with an average of below 20, a remarkable statistic in these run‑drenched times. Paul Wiseman led the way with 50 wickets, whilst Liam Jackson, Jon Fearick and the brothers Smith combined to support him with a further 118.
The ever‑youthful John Smith, with his second wicket at Egerton in the season's opening game, became only the ninth bowler in the League's history to exceed 1,000 wickets. In a year during which only two games were lost, the team's batting was reliable and usually above par. Whilst waving goodbye to his short‑lived League record total, Jason Swift was again the star batsman, hitting over 900 runs at an average of 57, and he was well backed‑up by Wiseman, Fearick, Bennison and Dave Smith, who aggregated 2,500 at a combined average of over 35. Andy Kay performed well behind the stumps, and the side's catching ability was never in doubt with Swift, Wiseman and the two Smiths between them accounting for 49 opposing batsmen.
For Greenmount, professional Usman Tariq and John Ashworth took the honours with the bat. Their combined total of 2,520 runs, together with Tariq's 54 wickets netted for them the Professional's Prize and the amateur Player‑of‑the‑Year award, whilst Andy Kerr, Andy Bowker and Ryan Senior each made significant contributions with bat and, in Seniors case, with ball. The bowling of Mark Stewart was, as ever, thoroughly reliable. lie took 71 'wickets, the highest number by an amateur, and he was acclaimed Bowler of the Season. The equivalent batting award went to Horwich's Grant Long, whose 873 runs took him ever further ahead at the top of the career list as he and David White (934) rather carried their club's batting along in the majority of their games.
Elsewhere, individually, the 2006 season belonged to one man. Tonge's professional, Adil Nisar, created a new League record for most runs in a season, with 1,842, whilst his 88 wickets were more than any other bowler and, to complete a noteworthy treble, no‑one took more catches than his 16!
Indeed, had he not missed the first four games of the season, we can only speculate as to what his final figures would have looked like! He enjoyed nine three‑figure innings, another League record, which took him to the top of the '100's in a career' list. All those centuries, which included a new individual innings record of 239 against Kearsley, came within a two‑month spell in June and July, during which he hit 1,558 runs in 13 innings. His batting was largely responsible for Tonge's Hamer Cup run, during which he hit 163, 57, and 148 to get his side to the last stage, before taking 7 for 69 in the Final. His six seasons at Castle Hill have produced 7,922 runs at a seasonal average of 1,320 per year, and an overall batting average of 61.89 per innings'. Quite amazing!
Five other professionals exceeded 1,000 runs, Jadhav, Tariq, O'Rourke, Parchment and Cornwall, and when eight centuries were accumulated on Day One of the season it was a sure sign of things to come. When Brenton Parchment completed the final hundred of the year, 104 against Westhoughton, 62 had been hit in all, 12 more than the previous best of 2005. 138 team‑totals of 200+, eight of which went over the 300‑mark, were also best‑ever figures, although the final run‑tally of 60,748 was slightly down on the previous highest figure. All of which makes one wonder where this huge current run glut is going to end. With a very wet season, I suppose!
The first round of the Hamer Cup was high on fine batting performances but low on close finishes. The shock of the programme came at Farnworth where the home side were overcome by Heaton who, the previous day, had claimed their first win of the season. Farnworth were limited to an all‑out 156, after which the rhyming couplet of Guest and West did most of the hard work as their team cruised to a 7‑wicket win.
The only relatively close finish was that at Greenmount, where the eventual finalists got through against Eagley with two wickets and eleven balls to spare. Mike O'Rourke's 98 provided the backbone of his side's 213 for 7, whilst Greenmount owed almost everything to Tariq's 106, although Simon Woolford, Young‑Player‑of‑the‑Year the previous season, backed him up well in an important fifth wicket stand to which he contributed 46.
Westhoughton enjoyed a fairly comfortable passage through to the second round at Astiey Bridge, who could only muster 99 in reply to the visitors' 195. Ian Pilkington and Steve Parker shared 61 runs as they got their side away to a healthy start, after which Pindoria added 38, and once Bridge's second wicket stand between Fray and Dalugoda had been broken, Emrit, with 5 for 37, ran through the remainder of the order.
Kearsley must have been heartily sick of the sight of Adil Nisar during 2006. In his three innings against Pete Morris's side he hit 476 runs for once out, and took 13 wickets, He dominated this first round tie, hitting 163 before removing four Kearsley batsmen as they fell for 166, 89 runs short of their target. Rick Hamblett (44) and Pete Morris (32) shared a decent sixth-wicket partnership, but Nisar had the final say, dismissing them both as his side made the first step towards their ultimate triumph.
Against Little Lever, runs from Swift Dave Smith and Fearick, along with 5 for 40 from Wiseman, were enough to see Walkden through. The home side never really threatened Walkden s 194 and eventually went down by 66 urns, whilst Horwich had Dave White and Andy Taylor to thank for a victory over Farnworth Social Circle which came with only five balls left unbowled. For Circle Cornwall hit 50, and was well backed‑up by Perry, Taylor and Harrison. Horwich, needing 195, lost two quick wickets, but were rescued first by White and Steve Woods, and then by Andy Taylor, who helped White add 72 in the final nine overs to clinch the narrow victory. White finished unbeaten on 91, Taylor on 44.
In Round Two, both Greenmount and Tonge relied on their tail‑end batsmen to see them through to the semi‑finals. Against Westhoughton, Greenmount had slumped to 80 for 8 before Peter Kay and Mark Hamnett saved the day, adding 75 to help hoist their side's final total to an all‑out 171, with Kay remaining undefeated on 48. In reply, Paul Atherton's 46 was the only innings of any real substance, and Tariq cleaned up the visitor:' tail with 4 for 19.
Tonge had their work cut out against Horwich, who hit 211, most of which came from White (75), James Reynard (49) and Steve Woods (34). Nisar, who had taken five wickets, gave his side a good start along with Alex Rodzoch (59), but it required a late 28‑run partnership between Nos.8 and 9, Adam Street and Kevin Bath, to see Tonge squeeze home with just seven balls remaining.
Egerton saw off Heaton pretty easily, dismissing the Lower Pools side for 99 thanks to 6 for 28 from skipper Ian Taylor. Heaton's only resistance came from another player with more Hamer Cup experience than he would probably care to admit to, Warwick Milne, who hit 29 late in the order. Jadhav, Stafford and Evans used up only 16 overs as Egerton raced to a nine‑wicket victory.
The most runs in the round were hit in the remaining tie, that at Walkden, where the home side were indebted to Dave Smith's 88 and Paul Wiseman's unbeaten 55 as they totalled 251 for 5 against Bradshaw. Thanks to Wettasinghe (82), aided and abetted by Rayment and Ward, the visitors got away to a good start in their reply, but once those three had gone Bradshaw folded to 202 all out, with only 36 runs coming from the other eight batsmen.
The two semi‑finals proved something of a nightmare for the bowlers. 1,145 runs were scored at Tonge and Greenmount and, even more amazing, 24 overs were still unbowled when the two victories were achievedl The runs came at an overall rate of more than one per ball, and whilst Ryan Senior, Egerton's Patel, and Adil Nisar each ended with a five‑wicket haul, their joint 16 wickets cost them 314 runs! Tonge's tie began with a superb opening stand of 281 between Nisar and Nigel Partington, and lesser contributions from Adam Street and David Bath boosted the final score to 378 for 7.
Egerton made a spirited start to their reply, with openers Jadhav and Mike Watkinson hitting 47 and 46 respectively. Nigel Hallows and Sid DeSilva kept the momentum going after which Patel's 78 put his side briefly into what could, however unlikely facing such a huge total, have been a winning position. But the last six batsmen could only muster 38 runs between them, and Nisar and Dave Tattersall took the last five wickets cheaply to give Tonge a 98‑run victory.
Over at Walkden, the home side, batting first, hit 243 for 9, to which most of the side made contributions with Paul Wiseman's 72 leading the way. Greenmount, having scored 315 for 5 the previous day, would have approached their task with confidence, and after Andy Kerr and Martin Kay had been dismissed relatively cheaply, Usman Tariq and Andy Bowker saw their side home. Bowker remained unbeaten on 43, and Tariq's 154 not out was his second hundred of the weekend.
The stars of the Final were probably the Farnworth groundsman, his helpers, and the club in general, for getting the field and the wicket into such good shape after the previous day's dreadful weather had prevented play throughout the League! Tonge, very much second favourites going into the game, batted first, and their chances took a further nose‑dive when Nisar and Partington were dismissed fairly quickly. Nisar, caught behind by Paul Blinkhorn, thus provided Mark Stewart with his 1,000th Bolton League wicket, but once this remarkable feat had been celebrated, the Tonge batsmen began to apply themselves to their task. The main runmaker was Shiz Arif, whose excellent 68 held the innings together with the rest of the middle‑order playing responsibly around him. Martin Kay added four further wickets to Stewart's four, and the final all‑out score of 205, whilst respectable, was generally considered to be well within Greenmount's reach. But at 21 for 2, with Tariq and Andy Kerr back in the pavilion, the game had turned on its head, and now wickets began to fall at regular intervals. Three fell for three runs in the mid‑80's, and, with the required run‑rate rising as the overs went by, Greenmount were gradually forced out of the match. When Nisar bowled Blinkhorn to put an end to the proceedings, he had completed a fine match winning bowling stint of 7 for 69 from his 23 overs. Tonge's very young side had brought a sixth Hamer Cup triumph to the Castle Hill club, all the more notable considering the fact that their captain and all‑rounder Simon Anderton had been unable to play any active part in the game. Arif was justly awarded the Man‑of‑the-Match trophy for his hugely influential innings.
The final year of the M.E.N's sponsorship of the inter‑league trophy brought no joy whatsoever to the League, when the Bolton side was hustled out of the competition at Furness in Round One by the North Lancashire League. After the home side had ended their 45 overs on 213 for 4, none of the visiting batsmen other than Andy Kerr and skipper Nigel Partington could find the kind of form necessary to take their team into the semi‑final. Kerr, opening the innings, was run out for 38, whilst Partington, going in at number 4, batted through the remainder of the innings without managing to find a partner capable of staying with him for the required length of time. Things improved greatly, however, in the annual match against the Bolton Association at Green Lane. Playing for the Anthony Axford Cup for the first time following 35 Trinity Cup years, the League side came out on top by 89 runs.
The day had begun inauspiciously for the team's selectors, who had to find three last‑minute replacements due to a lack of communication with the unavailable players concerned. As a result, the League were forced to field only two pro's instead of the regulation three. They were the prolific Nisar and Tariq, but, sadly, this wasn't their day with the bat, falling as they did for a joint 20 runs when the League batted first.
The innings revolved around a fine partnership between Phil Dickinson, who hit 50, and Chris Barrow, who, so often the man for the big occasion, produced one of his 'specials' when it was most needed. His superb 68 included five 6's and six 4's, and, bolstered by further runs from Nigel Partington, Nick Lester and Adam Street, the innings closed on 248 for 8.
After a dreadful start that saw Harris and Batticiotto dismissed in single figures, the Association never looked like reaching their target. Bundela and Jason Whittaker shared a decent 3rd wicket stand but were always behind the required run‑rate, and after Alfredi had struck four sixes in one over, the innings collapsed to an all‑out 159. Nisar and Tariq made up for their lack of runs with a joint 7 for 54, the fielding was at worst reliable, at best brilliant, and at the final outcome, the League had moved into an 11game lead in the series.
After five consecutive seasons had ended with a Bolton League club having reached the Old Trafford final (two in 2002), 2006 brought an end to that level of success in the L.C.B knock‑out competition. Walshaw proved something of a bogey team, disposing of three Bolton League sides in the first three rounds. In Round One they beat Little Lever in a rain‑affected tie, whilst Greenmount lost at home to Standish who, batting first, hit 213 for 6. In reply Greenmount were bowled out for 170, with only Andy Bowker's 50 posing any kind of a threat.
Farnworth, who were to make most progress in the competition, had received a bye along with Walkden, whilst neighbouring Social Circle enjoyed a notable win at Wallasey, where Shah's 67 ensured a 4‑wicket win after the home side had hit 184 for 8. Kearsley travelled to Wythenshawe where the game was ruined by the rain. After Kearsley had totalled 199 for 5, to which pro Ganga contributed 81, Wythenshawe's reply was halted by rain on 18 for 1, and Kearsley won the resultant bowl‑off 5‑3.
In Round Two, however, they became Walshaw's second victims when they could only muster an all‑out 104 in response to Walshaw's 218. Mel Whittle, with 3 for 22, and Simon Thomson, who hit 31, were the only two players to emerge with any credit. Walkden went through to Round 3 thanks to a successful run‑chase at Darcy Lever, where Jon Fearick's unbeaten 40 was the highlight of an 8‑wicket win. Farnworth Social Circle, however, came a cropper at Settle where, in an exciting finish, they lost by one wicket, thanks largely to a match‑winning knock from former Bolton League star Keith liornby. Dean Eckersley had been Circle's top‑scorer with Scott Lees having provided a flurry of late runs in the last two overs.
Farnworth went through at the expense of Bamford Fieldhouse in a rainaffected tie during which Dave Tonge's 59 along with late runs from Chris Barrow and Simon Booth ensured what proved to be a match‑winning total. Darren Mayers took four cheap wickets as Farnworth moved on to face Thornton Cleveleys in Round 3, where they squeezed home by five runs in a thrilling finish. Parchment and Lee Childs each hit a half‑century in Farnworth's all‑out 229, whilst the Barrow brothers took a joint 4 for 64 from 18 overs as Thornton's reply fell just short of their target.
Walkden completed Walshaw's hat‑trick when they narrowly lost in yet another tie to fall foul of the weather. Swift and Liam Jackson were Walkden's main run‑makers, but two thunderstorms had the last word. Farnworth's progress was halted in a nail‑biting quarter‑final at Huyton, where they suffered a one wicket defeat. Batting first, Farnworth could only manage a below‑par 141, of which Parchment, Childs and Chris Barroh jointly hit 92. But they responded excellently with the ball as Parchment and Barrow each took three wickets, and as the game climaxed with Huyton's last pair at the wicket, the winning runs came from a shot that would have been a catch had Parchment been a foot taller or been positioned a few yards deeper!
Farnworth Social Circle won the 2nd XI championship for the second time, ending the season six points ahead of runners‑up Greenmount. For Stuart Marsh's side David Penrose and Stephen French led the way with the bat, combining to hit over 1,100 runs, whilst their success with the ball was, largely a team effort with Bradley, Hayes, Rushton, Cooke, Ogden and Glover each making a significant contribution. Penrose won the League Batting Prize and Chris Crawford that for bowling. Crawford's side, Greenmount, finished in second place as they had done the previous season, whilst the other two individual awards, those for wicket‑keeping and catches, went to Jake Wilde of Farnworth Social Circle and Farnworth's Michael Daley respectively.
Westhoughton won the Birtwistle Cup for the fourth time, beating Bradshaw in a high‑scoring Final. On winning the toss Westhoughton batted first, and totalled 239 for 9. Irfan Puda led the way with an undefeated 85, with Michael Entwistle adding 30. In Bradshaw's reply, Steve Dickinson emulated Puda in that he, too, hit an unbeaten 85. Tierney scored 38 whilst, for Westhoughton, Martin Woods played an important role with the ball, taking 3 for 26 from his ten overs as Bradshaw ended the game on 192 for 9, 47 runs behind.
In the annual 2nd XI Inter‑League match against the Central Lancashire League played at Rochdale the Bolton League team were heavily defeated after the home side, batting first, had racked up 217 for 8. Stephen Holt, who took 2 for 17 from his nine overs, was by far the best bowler, but the Bolton side's reply was fairly dire, with no batsmen other than Nigel Franklyn (20) and Simon Banks (52) reaching double figures in an all‑out 135.
In September at Little Lever, Tonge ended their season on a high when, in spectacular fashion, they added the Denis Lyddon Trophy to their Hamer Cup success. In the semi‑final, after having restricted Heaton to 75, Nigel Partington and Adam Rodzoch led the way to an 8‑wicket victory. Bradshaw were Tonge's Final opponents, and the Rigbys side, batting first, hit 166 for 4, normally enough to ensure a 20‑over win. Paul Rayment, with 54, and Dave Morris (45), were the two main contributors. But Tonge responded magnificently. Again Partington top‑scored with 45, and he was superbly supported in an exhilarating run‑chase by Adam and Alex Rodzoch, who combined to hit 70, and by a quick‑fire 18 not out from Adam Street, which ensured the 7‑wicket win with an over to spare.
At Bolton School in January Walkden reverted to their winning ways of 1999 ‑2003 when they came out on top for the sixth time in the Axford Indoor Trophy competition. Having overcome Egerton (narrowly) and Little Lever (fairly comfortably) in the first two rounds, their main rivals, Kearsley, faced them in the semi‑final. Walkden hit the day's highest total, 108 for 3, thanks mainly to Bennison, Fearick and John Smith, against which Kearsley capitulated rather disappointingly for an all‑out 70, with skipper Pete Morris's 28 the only innings to threaten the outcome.
The Final provided a similar story with Walkden s 100 for 4 proving far too many for Bradshaw, who were bowled out for the competition's lowest total of the year, 48. Bennison was voted Man‑of‑the‑Match, with Liam Jackson and the Smith brothers having also provided influential performances in the Final.
At Old Trafford, meanwhile, Kearsley won the L.C.B. Indoor title, and went on to defeat the Yorkshire champions, Treeton, when Mel Whittle turned in the outstanding bowling figures of 4 for 15 from his three overs. This guaranteed them a place at Headingley in the North of England Finals where they would be fared with a semi‑final and a Final, with the winners going on to Lords for a place in the National Finals.
Their semi‑final opponents were St. Georges, a team from Shropshire. Kearsley batted first and in a total of 90, skipper Pete Morris top‑scored with 25 and Rick Hamblett also topped the 20‑mark. St. Georges were bowled out for 60 as Kearsley went on to meet Bolsover in the Final. Again Morris and Hamblett were the two leading batsmen as the Bolton side hit 87, but with Bolsover's reply standing on 80 for 4, the eventual outcome was influenced by a decision which deemed the leading batsman not out when he had been caught at mid off by the Kearsley captain. No further wickets fell and Bolsover ended the Lords dream when the winning runs came with only the last over remaining.
At the League's Presentation Dinner in November, tribute was paid to Heaton's Jack Taylor, who received the Hubert Pendlebury Award for services to the Bolton League. Jack, who played for Heaton, is the epitome of someone who has put back into the game far more than ever he took out. For the better part of 30 years he has been the cornerstone of junior cricket at the Lower Pools club. He is a respected figure throughout the league, and a very worthy recipient of what has become such a prestigious award.
At the other end of the age‑scale, the junior Player‑of‑the‑Year was Farnworth Social Circle's Luke Perry, who hit 563 first team runs and, at Horwich, became one of the youngest ever batsmen to hit a century at senior level. Clearly, a player with a big future. A player with a very big past is Horwich's Steve Woods, who announced his retirement from the playing side of the game towards the end of last season. During his long career Steve has become one of the most highly‑respected of Bolton League men, both on and off the field, having played for a total of 22 seasons for Westhoughton, and at Horwich for the last ten, interspersed with brief spells at Little Lever and Heaton. Well over 14,000 runs says everything about his batting ability, whilst his value as a clubman has, over the years, been there for everyone to see. Oh yes, and his son isn't a bad player either!
Finally, our thanks to everyone who contributed to a successful season. To Tony Axford, his family and his company for their highly valued support, to the umpires and scorers, to the team managers, groundsmen and workforces around the clubs, and to officials at both senior and junior level.
Here's to a successful 2007 season and, just a thought, to the unearthing of a few decent bowlers in an effort to adjust the balance between bat and ball!