BOLTON Junior Inter-league team had a resounding 156-144 and an innings victory when they played Bury at Elton Vale Sports Club last Friday.

The Bury girls played well but their team selection was seriously affected by the match clashing with Prom Night, which resulted in some younger girls being given their first taste of inter-town competition.

Only one Bury batter failed to survive first time round, although Jasmine Harris and Abbie Alexander both recorded zeros. Harris then scored two singles before being caught out, but redeemed herself in the second innings by scoring 14 and being last batter.

Alexander rode her luck with two further zeros and three singles, but helped her team by staying in and being the last batter in the first innings.

Aimee Gilmore was top scorer with nine before being caught out and the home side finished with 54, which included 18 bad balls.

Bolton did not make the best of starts to their first innings, losing one batter on the first round, but four survived with no score. However, Lucy Brown opened with a rounder and survived a 'no score,' but went on to score 23 before being hit out.

Abigail Lythgoe had two zeros in her first three rounds, but went on to be Bolton’s top scorer with 24, including two consecutive rounders. Georgia Lever (20), Olivia Hill (18), Priya Guhathakuta (18), Mollie Kenyon-Kellett (14) and Charlotte Gettings (10) all reached double figures as the visitors powered to a total of 156, which included 19 bad balls.

In the second innings, Bury immediately lost their first batter Melanie Tattersall, who was hit out, and Natasha Smith, caught. Hannah Milne started with a zero, but scored a rounder next time and went on to double figures with 11.

Substitute Katie Taylor scored two and all the other Bury batters managed singles on the first round, but after three rounds, only five batters remained. Gilmore was caught out for six, but the last four batters all reached double figures. Charlotte McKenzie was top scorer with 17, last batter Harris finished with 14, although seven of these came after a 'no score,' while Shannon Rhodes and Hannah Milne both scored 12.

In line with the other innings, the bowlers struggled and there were 21 bad balls in the Bury total of 90 for the innings, which took their match total to 144, a dozen short of preventing an innings defeat.

The intermediate (18-25) teams meet on Friday at East Lancs Paper Mill CC's ground in Radcliffe.