HAVING used this column last week to extol the current virtues of Greenmount's first XI, I went along to Astley Bridge last Saturday, only to spend some six hours watching Greenmount attempting to disprove most of what I'd written!

They began well enough, and when Stewart and Downton had reduced the home side to 30 for three, I must admit to wondering where to move on to when the match finished around teatime!

But then things began to change. James Shuttleworth started the transformation by taking the attack to the Greenmount bowlers. He moved from 36 to 48 with three consecutive fours off Chee Quee before getting caught in two minds and offering a rather tame caught-and-bowled to the professional.

But he had altered the course of the game, and now Steve Entwistle kept the momentum going. He found a willing ally in Martin Seddon, and between them, the pair added 84 attractive runs. After Entwistle had gone for a match-winning 73, Seddon made his way sensibly to within five runs of the maiden half-century he so clearly deserved.

I thought 232 to be within Greenmount's reach, given a decent contribution from Chee Quee, but Shahid Mahboob plainly didn't agree! Within the hour they were coming round for a well-earned collection for the Bridge pro, who, at that stage, had taken five for 12 as Greenmount crashed to 31 for six. Smith, Sidley and Willetts fought a determined rearguard action, and actually raised the visitors hopes of a draw, but Mahboob came back and, with a little help from Gilligan, removed the last vestiges of resistance.

One thing about Mahboob - he certainly earns his money at Sharples Park! His seventh over today will take his overs total since arriving in 1995 to 1,400 a figure only matched over the same period by Iqbal Sikander and Mel Whittle. More to the point, his coaching efforts, both at the club and elsewhere, are, to him, a rewarding part of the job, and much appreciated by his young charges. They have repaid him and his fellow coaches with a whole series of successes at both league and county level. At Little Lever on Saturday evening a party was held to celebrate the return to the area of another coach, albeit one at a slightly higher level of the game. Geoff Marsh's popularity at Victory Road guaranteed a big turn-out of his former team-mates and adversaries. Most of his colleagues from the successful Little Lever sides of the early 80s were there - Dick Powell, Steve O'Shaughnessy, Mike Rogers, Gordon Gregson and the rest - while a quartet consisting of Tony Settle, Nigel Partington, David White and Gilbert Ellis who, between them had totalled 350 runs on the day without being dismissed, were quite willing to talk to anyone who would listen!

Tony, in particular, was quite articulate on the subject of his five for 38 against Daisy Hill, a performance which, he was at some pains to point out, would keep him close to the top of the Association's bowling averages!

It was, as might be imagined, a wonderfully nostalgic occasion, and when the Australians fly home in August with the Ashes, our consolation in this area will be that the trophy will be in the sake keeping of the captain and the coach, two of the nicest men in the game.

Sunday's inter-league friendly at Kearsley contained some excellent contributions from those players who may now be considered to be on the fringe of the 'first XI'.

Simon Thomson's 69 shone out like a beacon in what was otherwise a fairly lacklustre batting display, although David Parkinson and Stuart Hornby's late runs took the final total to what turned out to be one of match-winning proportion. Rick Northrop looked very comfortable behind the wicket, while the Parkinson brothers achieved the not inconsiderable feat of bowling their joint 20 overs for a similar amount of runs. But the fate of the game was really decided in the last six overs when Tim Barry and young Matthew Cuff had the good cricketing sense to keep the ball well pitched-up. The lack of any short stuff, coupled with commendable accuracy, induced sheer desperation in the minds of the batsmen, at which point the match was really won and lost. Cuff's 3-37 from 10 overs was particularly impressive, coming from a bowler with less than 50 overs to his credit in League matches so far this season.

At the outset of the season there were three teams in whose progress I had a more-than-casual interest. Walkden, who I'd publicly tipped at 1997 champions, Lancashire, who I really believed could win the title this year, and my Daily Telepgraph Fantasy team! The selection of my fantasy side took several hours, and the more I looked at it, the more impressive it appeared to be. I was even congratulated on my choice by a friend of mine, at which I pointed out to him that it was simply the result of my deep knowledge of the game and its players.

I visualised myself receiving the Manager of the Year Award from Mike Atherton, and had already decided which Winter Test I would be flying out to see as the guest of the Telegraph.

Then the season started, and my band of elite athletes turned into a rabble of injury-prone, out-of-form, drug addicts, in whom I have now totally lost all interest!

So, that's two down, one to go. Come on Smithy, don't let me down ...!

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.