HOME advantage paid for Brooksbottoms Cricket Club when they won the 43rd Brian Statham Trophy encounter at their Rowlands Road ground at Summerseat.

Players from 'Brox' and Elton Vale CC (formerly Bolton Road Methodists) have donned their whites every Boxing Day since 1962 and have never let the weather, rain, hail, snow or fog, get in the way of their annual dust-up.

This year's clash was played in grey and overcast skies that did yield one or two drops of rain, but it was far better than the conditions last Christmas when the match was played in the snow.

Brooksbottoms won the toss and elected to bat against a depleted Elton Vale side.

They made 110 for 5 against some steady bowling in their allotted 20 overs and the low bounce of the wicket ensured run scoring was patient rather than spectacular.

Vale's run chase was curtailed when they lost their first five wickets, all bowled, inside the first four overs and it took their later batsmen to restore some respectability to the score as they finished on 62 all out.

Top performer for the losers was Mark Duffel who hit 38 runs and finished with 1 for 8 but the man-of-the-match award went to veteran Jim Hoyle whose 4 for 8, two over spell destroyed any chance of the Bury side winning the game.

Umpires on the day were David Pope and John Murray.