LAST weekend's horrendous weather, which prevented play in four first team matches in the Warburton's Bolton League, and then relegated most of Sunday's Lancs KO games into "faster run-rate" semi-oblivion, at least looked kindly on Eagley's second team.

With no play on each of the other six grounds, the Dunscar side managed to collect a dozen points from their home game with Westhoughton, and they were enough to hoist Ian Wilcox's side to the top of the table, three points ahead of main rivals Greenmount and Kearsley.

Unbeaten so far, Eagley have got the better of their opponents on five occasions to date, thanks to outstanding contributions from the skipper himself, Malcolm Venn, Steve Whittaker, Glen Carruthers and Martin Cripps, who, on Saturday, hit 68 to add to the 114 he scored two weeks ago at Piggott Park.

In the top-of-the-table clash with Greenmount on May 5, it was seven for 51 by veteran Steve Powers that decided matters. I realise that Steve won't exactly relish my use of the V-word, but he is old enough to have played alongside me many years ago during the last century!

Perhaps the current star of the second XI Bolton League scene is Astley Bridge's Steve Entwistle, who, after having registered 5,500 first-team runs, is now adding his experience and know-how to the second string's cause.

Before last Saturday's washout, he had hit consecutive scores of 70, 72, 70 and 50, and while the current champions are presently languishing in sixth position, I have the feeling that they'll be there or thereabouts come September.

At first-team level, there has been considerable confusion as to the identity of the Westhoughton bowler named in the score-cards as "Rauf". I can assure everyone, including the several people who have telephoned me on the issue, that Rauf is, in fact, Abdur Khan, the club's registered professional, and that Rauf is merely his middle name.

He truly has had a mixed season thus far. In three combined matches he has finished with the less than enviable figures of three for 305, while his other two contributions have totalled 14 wickets for 31 runs.

Will the real Abdur Khan please stand up!

His club will be hoping that once the wickets really begin to harden up, they will see more of the latter figures and less of the former!

The outstanding form shown by Greenmount's Mark Stewart has made people sit up and take notice during the first month of the season.

He has taken exactly half of the 50 wickets which have fallen to the Greenmount attack to date, good news indeed for the inter-league selectors who were meeting this week.

Fifteen of his 25 wickets have been obtained without any assistance from his fielders, and Mark has also five catches and one very quick half-century to his credit.

It would appear that captaincy is suiting the, dare I say it, Greenmount all-rounder!

As a result of last weekend's Thwaites LCB cup-ties, the League has, for the first time ever, six representatives in Round Two of the competition. It will also be for the last time, as the LCB have taken the decision to restrict the number of entrants from each league to four clubs from 2003 onwards.

Of the six successful sides, only Eagley went through thanks to a "proper" result, and that by the very narrowest possible margin. But their one-run victory was notable for several reasons, not least the excellent all-round performance of their professional Imran Javed.

There were, too, fine bowling spells from Glen Carruthers, whose three for 19 blew away the home side's middle order, and from third-teamer Gary Prendergast, whose two early wickets were both obtained thanks to brilliant leg-side stumpings by Tim Wallwork.

The other five clubs all made progress due to their superior run-rates, although it has to be said that they were all in winning positions when the rains came.

Kearsley were rescued from a wobbly start by Ratledge, Monks and Akber, Westhoughton's 234 was very much a team batting effort led by Adam Coates' 45, and Dean Eckersley's 89 bolstered Social Circle's total. Mike Bennison hit 89 of Walkden's 226 against Astley Bridge, and any lingering hopes that Bridge may have been harbouring were shot away by a combination of the weather and Phil Ingram's three for eight. Jon Kerrigan's excellent form continued for Tonge, and it was his undefeated 49 which ensured the winning run-rate after tea.

The revised Second Round draw throws up some fascinating ties.

Tomorrow, Westhoughton are at home to Blackpool in a battle between two previous winners, while holders Tonge are involved in a local affair at Little Hulton on a date yet to be arranged. Eagley will travel to Winton on June 9, and Farnworth SC and Kearsley have away matches at Leyland and Woodhouses respectively.

Walkden might well have been relieved to hear that Kendal came unstuck against Padiham in Round One, and their home game against the Ribblesdale League club has been fixed for Bank Holiday Monday.

Another game for local enthusiasts tomorrow is that at Egerton, the League's only remaining representative in the National KO Competition, where Gary Garner's side entertain Lytham in round three.

2nd XI

P W L D8 D6 D1 T7 BP PD Pt

Eagley... 6 3 0 2 0 1 0 15 0 92

Greenmount... 6 4 1 0 1 0 0 3 0 89

Kearsley... 6 4 1 0 1 0 0 3 0 89

Egerton... 6 3 2 0 1 0 0 6 0 72

Walkden... 6 2 2 1 1 0 0 12 0 66

Astley Bridge... 6 2 2 1 1 0 0 12 2 64

Farnworth SC... 6 2 1 0 2 1 0 10 0 63

Tonge... 6 1 0 2 1 2 0 15 2 57

Little Lever... 6 2 3 0 1 0 0 10 0 56

Horwich... 6 2 2 0 1 1 0 8 0 55

Heaton... 6 1 3 1 1 0 0 11 2 43

Westhoughton... 6 1 3 0 0 1 1 13 0 41

Bradshaw... 6 0 2 0 2 1 1 13 0 33

Farnworth... 6 0 5 0 1 0 0 3 0 9

Results: Eagley 173-4d (M Cripps 68, G Carruthers 29*) Westhoughton 94-6 (G Carruthers 3-35). All other games abandoned without a ball bowled.