A BIG crowd is expected to watch the first game in the new Cross Cup competition on Sunday.

A derby clash between Adlington and Blackrod will raise the curtain on Lancashire’s oldest cricket competition – and one of the oldest in the world – which has been revived after it went one season without being played due to the league which ran it since 1889, the Bolton and District Association, going into a period of suspension before the 2016 season.

A healthy 15 teams have entered with organisers reporting positive feedback to its restoration.

Nick Chamberlain, the chairman of seven-time winners of the competition Adlington, who will host Sunday's game which starts at 1.30pm, says the game takes on a special significance due to the history of the cup.

“We are proud to be at the forefront of a new era of the Cross Cup,” he said. “Hopefully, we can keep it going again. The history of the Cross Cup makes this a different game and to those of us steeped in the Bolton Association the game definitely has buzz about it.

“We couldn’t have a had a better draw either. It’s a derby and Blackrod will bring plenty of supporters.

“It’s the only Cross Cup game which makes the occasion even more special and with it being a first-team game there should be a good crowd on the ground to watch it.”