FRIDAY saw the final of the Pike Shield at Bolton Cricket Club with Section K rivals The Royal B and Chadwicks Recycling in opposition.

The Royal are currently top of the Section, well clear of their opponents who had beaten them earlier in the season. The situation suggested the final wound be a good one and the teams did not disappoint.

Chadwicks batted first and lost just one player on the first round and three on the second, but Kirsty McLaren followed up her opening three with a rounder before being out at first base for nine.

Lucy Craven failed to score first time round, but punished the opponents with two consecutive rounders on the way to being last batter and top scorer with 20, the only Chadwicks batter to reach double figures as they closed their innings with 70 runs.

With the knowledge they had previously beaten their opponents, Chadwicks dismissed three batters, all by different means, on the first round and proceeded to keep the scoring low.

Ellesse Christie was the only Royal batter to score a three and finished with 10 while Aleaha Coldray was top scorer and last batter with six twos and a single as The Royal were all out for 48 and a deficit of 20 runs.

First-innings hero Lucy Craven was out at first and Joanne Craven was caught at the start of Chadwicks’ second innings, but five batters showed determination to continue scoring.

Michelle Corden was top scorer with 20, including two rounders, Stevie Chadwick finished with two consecutive rounders for 18, despite failing to score off her second ball. Hazel Holmes also scored a rounder to reach 13 and Gill Morgan was denned for 12, taking Chadwicks’ second innings to 85 and a match total of 155.

At 107 runs adrift, The Royal girls set out to justify the league position and despite losing a batter on the first round and another on the third, the remaining girls warmed to the challenge and played a magnificent second innings.

Coldray and last batter Sophie Holt both scored two rounds to be joint top scorers on 28. Alyshea Gerrard included one rounder in her 17, Katie Brownley (16) and Karie Nolan (14) both played it safe with a string of singles and Emma Oakden also reached double figures with 11 as The Royal B scored 162 for the innings to take a 210-155 victory.

The next final is for the Blackburn Shield at Little Lever Cricket Club on Friday. Russell Seddon will be in charge when Section G leaders Wallys Dollys face the leaders of Section H, Bishops Ladies.

The action continues on Sunday at Bolton Cricket Club when handicap knockout competition semi-finals will be played.

In the Festival Cup, Little Lever XI will play Westside XI (+75) at 11am (Graham Palmer), followed at 1pm by Applejax in a scratch-start match against Stoneclough Ladies (Paula Coleman).

Sacred XI and The Royal B are in a scratch-start match (Ethel Barlow) at 11am for the Dorothy Clarke Trophy followed by the match at 1pm between Darcy Lever C&SC D, with a handicap of 20 minutes per innings, against Bolton Ukrainian Club who will have a 70-run start (Mick Dargan).