POPULAR local cricket umpire and official Eric Smith has died.
Mr Smith's interest in cricket began as a Bradshaw supporter in the village where he lived, and in the early 1970s he was a member of the Bradshaw Cricket Club committee.
In 1982 he began umpiring and became the Bolton Cricket League umpires' fixture secretary in 1991, a post he held until 2014.
In 2011 he was awarded the prestigious Hubert Pendlebury Trophy for outstanding services to the league, and became a league vice president.
He was a representative on the Lancashire Cricket Association, which became the Lancashire Cricket Board.
Mr Smith, who was in his late 70s and worked for a butcher until he retired, died after a lengthy battle with cancer.
He leaves a widow Glenda, and sons Duncan and Adrian.
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