With this year marking the end of the annual inter-league match between the Bolton League and Bolton Association, Ray Taylor looks back at the history of the fixture

IN 1971 the inaugural match between the Bolton Association and Bolton League was played at Little Lever CC.

The contest was the brainchild of the late Dennis Lyddon, managing director of Trinity Paper Mill, based in Little Lever, who were to sponsor the match for many years.

Most of this and a follow-up article in a fortnight are based on Peter Stafford’s reviews in the Bolton League handbook.

The early matches were played before Peter became secretary, so I have not been able to find any documented accounts of the first three matches.

The Association won them 2-1, although I do recall a gritty half century from Atherton's professional Brian Cole being the difference between the two sides in the first match, and teenager Javed Miandad savaging the League bowling attack in the third.

The match was rained off in 1974 and the League pulled level in 1975 with Steve Woods recording a half century as the League ended just short of 200. The Association were 75 without loss, but in those days bowlers were not restricted and Ces Wright, who is still playing at the age of 81, took six wickets. In 1976 Mudassar Nazar, Little Hulton’s professional at that time carried his bat for 108, with the main support from Roy Marland.

The League recovered from 11-3 thanks to half centuries from Dave Seddon and Fred Guest but finished the match one run short.

A year later the League drew level again. An opening partnership of 72 between Cole and Arthur Sutton was the only one of note in the match.

Tonge’s Les Whittle took 6-18 with only Raddi Patel offering any resistance with 33 not out, the highest score of the match.

In 1978 the Association again moved into a one-match lead thanks to contributions with the bat from Marland and Paul Tatton, despite figures of 5-46 from Parvez Mir who went on to put the League in a strong position with the bat until Kanubhai Patel destroyed the middle order.

The decade ended with a comfortable victory for the Association with telling contributions from John Tonge and Richard Powell with the ball and a destructive opening partnership between Norman Jones and Ricky Skeete.

The 1980s began with Jones in even better form, hitting a century at Clifton, supported by club-mates Tatton and Jeff Shuttleworth.

Mudassar and Geoff Marsh put the League in a commanding position at 100-1 but once again Tonge removed the middle order and the Association won by 15 runs.

In 1981 the Association moved into a 7-3 lead despite a century partnership between Nazar and Tyrone Knight out of 208-7 as Ricky Skeete smashed six sixes and nine boundaries ending just short of his century.

One year later the League recorded their first victory for four years despite Anwar Khan and Raddi Patel scoring half centuries as Parvez Mir hit a century and was well supported by Iqtidar Ali.

Mir hit another century the following year as the League won a rain-affected match, and in 1984 scored a half century which was overshadowed by 161 not out from Rod Tucker.

Mike Davies and Shuttleworth began well for the Association but their later batsmen struggled against the spin of George Tee and Dave Mason and ended the game on 172-6, almost one hundred adrift.

The second half of the decade began with the League moving level in the series with Tony Settle’s half century the mainstay of the Association’s 151-7. The League were in trouble at 78-6, but Ian Moss scored a match-winning 37 not out.

In 1986 a fifth consecutive victory for the League put them in front for the first time as Roland Gee took 3-9 from his 10 overs before the Bradshaw pair Cole and Neil Senior steered them to a comfortable eight-wicket win.

The League’s run looked like extending to six when the Association’s last pair came together in the 1987 match at Eagley with 43 required.

The final over began with Derek Page facing West Indian professional Collis King and 27 required for victory.

Page failed to score off the fifth delivery but the other five all sailed over the boundary to give his team an improbable victory.

The next game had to be an anti-climax and was, with the League winning by almost 100 runs thanks to all-round performances from Ronnie Irani and Grant Long.

The 80s ended with another comfortable win for the League. The Association’s highest partnership was 28 between last pair Cliff Westby and Mike Crookson and the match ended early courtesy of a rapid 47 from Dean Waugh.