A GOOD team on and off the field is why Farnworth Social Circle are many people's favourites for the Bolton League title, believes captain Matt Parkinson.

The Piggott Park men have started the season with two wins and have a strong all-round side which bats nearly all the way down the order.

Parkinson says Circle's success is based on having had a strong junior section for 20 years or more.

"We spend very little money on players," he said. "We will be in the bottom few clubs in what we lay out on players.

"It's about being part of the club for a long time at Social Circle.

"The players have all grown up together through the junior sides. Some have gone away and played their cricket elsewhere and come back to where they belong.

"They came through the juniors together, winning the under-18s competition six years running and they are all still playing together as old men – people like Chris Walsh who's 37 now and has played at Social Circle all his life.

"We've provided players for a lot of other clubs too, like Simon Booth at Farnworth who started as a junior at Social Circle.

"We've got good people running the club who are responsible for the success of the juniors, people like John Hutchinson and Tracey Brooks and loads more – too many to mention.

"And then there's John Barrow, the chairman, who does everything that needs doing and a lot more besides. We're very lucky to have so many good people running the club.

"When we won the league in 2009 every single player played as a junior, including the pro.

"More money is spent on running the juniors than the first team but it means we don't have to spend a lot on players like a lot of other teams do.

"It's the way we've always been set up and still are. It's a good model."

Parkinson plays down his team's chances of the title and points to Bradshaw, Westhoughton, Farnworth and Horwich as the main challengers.

"I like the Claudio Ranieri approach and just looking at finishing in the top six.

"One of my main targets this year is keeping people happy because our top eight batsmen could bat top five at any other club.

"It's difficult fitting them all in and keeping them happy but it's a good problem to have.

"At Kearsley last week we needed 20-ish and our number eight batsman – a proper batsman – came in and did the job.

"Farnworth are spending again, Bradshaw have the same old experienced heads, Westhoughton will do well if Qaiser [Abbas] has a good season and there's a new team, Horwich, who have some experienced heads and Brett Pelser who's a top pro – he's an old-school pro in the way he wants to help out and get involved in the club."

Parkinson says the addition of nine former Bolton Association sides into the Bolton League has given added interest.

"I'm looking forward to going to all the new grounds and seeing new people," he said.

"When we played at Adlington in the first game it was the first time I'd been there since I played there in the under-13s for Little Hulton and one of the guys there recognised me from all that time ago.

"It's a shame we couldn't get Flixton and Edgworth to join and keep hold of Greenmount and Egerton because we could have had 24 teams, but it's a good league."

Fixtures

TOMORROW

Bolton League

(1.30pm start)

Astley Bridge v Standish, Atherton v Horwich RMI, Blackrod v Kearsley, Eagley v Adlington, Farnworth Social Circle v Daisy Hill, Golborne v Darcy Lever, Heaton v Little Hulton, Tonge v Farnworth, Walkden v Bradshaw, Westhoughton v Lostock.

Second team fixtures reversed.

Sunday

National Knockout

Longridge v Eagley, Hyde v Farnworth, Roe Green v Daisy Hill.