THE Bolton Cricket League has joined an under-21 inter-league competition which is starting this season.

They will play three other league sides in a midweek tournament which will be expanded if the demand is there to do so.

The Bolton League pulled out of the senior Lancashire inter-league competition due to a decline in interest among players and spectators in recent years.

They continue to play in the under-18s competition and have joined with the Liverpool Competition, the Northern League and the North Staffordshire and South Cheshire League to play in the new under-21 competition.

The competition, sponsored by CricTours, is planned to start in late June with games played in midweek and a high-profile final scheduled for Thursday, August 18.

Ray Taylor, secretary of the Bolton League said: “We are very pleased to be competing in an under-21 competition against players from some of the top leagues in the North West.

"Playing these games midweek is a great attraction for us.”

The tournament is seen as bridging the gap between junior and senior inter-league competition.

Bolton has a vibrant junior league feeding through to a senior league which has expanded from 14 to 21 clubs this season with a view to going to two divisions next year.