DURING last Sunday's Hamer Cup Final, I was accused, fairly light-heartedly, of not being quite so neutral as a League President ought to be on these occasions.

All that I can say in my defence is that I was probably as totally unbiased as was the last but one League President when the same two clubs met in the Cup Final of 1979!

That it was one of the great Hamer Cup Finals goes without saying, even though it produced fewer runs than any Final since the war. Almost without exception, these evenly-balanced low-scoring matches engender more tension, excitement and frustration than do their high-scoring counterparts, and Sunday's tie, even for genuinely uncommitted spectators, included enough excitement and tension to see them through until next season!

It was not dissimilar to the 1979 Final, in that Westhoughton didn't score enough runs but then fought back magnificently into a winning position, only for one Eagley batsman to snatch it away from them in the dying overs.

None of Westhoughton's bowlers deserved to finish on the losing side, especially Mike Crookson, who must have been favourite for the Man-of-the-Match award right up to the final delivery of the game.

In much the same way, Eagley's Shahid Mahboob and Martin Seddon must have been close to the award at the tea-interval. But, in the end, Tommy Hughes' decision was made easy for him.

When Peter Mensforth commented in his preview of the Final that "the team (Eagley) bats well down the order", he couldn't have known just how prophetic those words would turn out to be. Tim Wallwork, of course, isn't a Number Ten. Indeed he must be one of the very few batsmen with a Bolton League century to his credit to go in so low in the order. But, it's one thing to have the batting ability -- it's quite another to be able to hold your nerve in such a critical situation while putting that ability to the test.

True, he had his one great moment of luck when he was put down during the stand, but, other than that, he never put a foot wrong, and the magnificent straight six off Patel and the pulled four at the other end were the shots of a batsman in complete control, both of himself and of his opponents' attack.

Stayed calm

Steve Foster, too, somehow managed to remain calm for long enough to put together what will always be the best 3 not out of his career!

During the presentation ceremony, the Westhoughton lads looked shell-shocked, as well they might. We've all suffered that kind of a defeat at some time or other. But, in a Hamer Cup Final, it doesn't bear thinking about!

As the season has unfolded, I've heard at first hand a lot of complaints about some of the scoreboards in the Bolton League. Cricket, more than any other sport, depends on statistics in order for the spectators to gain maximum enjoyment from what they have paid to watch and, at the moment, on some grounds, they are being short-changed.

The board at Tonge on Friday was a disaster, and caused many supporters, both home and away, to pass disparaging remarks. The Castle Hill club is not the only one, and while there are some boards in the League that are operated to perfection, some others are not. The spectators need to be kept in touch in seven areas -- total, overs, wickets, each batsman's score, last man, and the score at the fall of the last wicket. Three out of seven is just not good enough!

On several grounds this season I've noticed the scorer himself operating the board, usually at the end of each over, in addition to his book. I know that the days when a "tin-boy" would do the job for a free tea are long gone, but, surely, if the money was right, an efficient board operator could be attracted.

I realise that paying someone to do this job goes against the grain, although I don't really understand why. A lot of other people involved in the game are on decent money, so why shouldn't that apply to someone who would add significantly to the proceedings, while, at the same time, raising the club's profile in the eyes of local supporters.

And, if your scoreboard needs a bit of money spending on it, then, for goodness sake, spend it. If we really are one of the county's premier leagues, then that should be reflected in all aspects of every club, and, at the moment, in one particular area at least, we are being found wanting!