BOLTON cricket is mourning the loss of one of its best-known cricketers, Steve Walsh, who died suddenly on Tuesday.

Mr Walsh, aged 63, played for, coached and was an official at Atherton Cricket Club all his career apart from two years he spent with Astley and Tyldesley.

He captained the Atherton first team in the Bolton and District Cricket Association for many years and was one of the league’s all-time top wicket takers with more than 1,200 victims.

He played for and managed the Bolton and District Cricket Association inter-league team on a number of occasions including when they won the Lancashire inter-league cup, beating the Ribblesdale League in the final.

He lived in Atherton where he ran a trophy shop and leaves a son, Paul, and a daughter, Rachel, who both followed in their father’s footsteps in playing cricket at a good level, Paul emulating Steve in captaining Atherton and Rachel playing for Lancashire at junior and senior level, captaining the latter.

A highly popular figure in local cricket, Steve attended Atherton CC’s golf day – which was almost like a reunion of former players, last Friday.

John Charlson, who was Atherton’s secretary for almost 60 years, paid tribute to Mr Walsh.

“I’ve been associated with Steve for 50 years one way or another and it’s so sad,” he said.

“He took part in a golf day and party at the club on Friday and had a good time. It was a bit of a reunion which now takes on extra meaning.

“He was well liked by everybody and it has come as such a shock to everyone.”

On Mr Walsh’s cricket career, Mr Charlson added: “He was a very good player, right near the top when it came to taking wickets in the history of the Association.

“As a bowler he was deadly accurate. His style was hard to describe, I would describe it as an off-cutter, not a traditional off spin.

“He wasn’t slow and he wasn’t fast, but he was very very miserly, he once bowled nine overs and had nine maidens in a Lancashire Knockout game for Atherton.

“He didn’t like conceding runs, and he was the same batting. He was low down the order but he always protected his wicket and he didn’t like it in later years if he saw number nine, 10, 11 giving away their wicket.”