IT'S a long time since the Bolton League had clear favourites for success before a ball has been bowled.

But when the season gets underway on Saturday most of the pundits are tipping Kearsley to clean up.

The reason for that is simple. They have brought in quality players with vast experience of Bolton cricket.

Firstly David White joined them from Horwich, where the all-rounder enjoyed most of his success, and then they were delighted when Paul Berry joined him.

Berry is one of the most talented cricketers on the league scene. He returns from Northern League side Leyland, where his fine batting and slick fielding talents were enhanced, while he was the outstanding player when Kearsley won the League's indoor cricket competition earlier this year, being dismissed only once.

Then the former club and inter-league captain Dick Powell returned to stiffen up the middle order batting and add variety to the bowling along with Dave Tattersall, who has made the move from Tonge.

On paper the line-up looks formidable but there is the one lingering doubt.

Will the team gel to become the potent force they are expected to be? We will find out before too long.

Ironically, all the attention on Kearsley has delighted champions Little Lever. As skipper Tim Wallwork explained: "The pressure seems to be on them now to do well. We're the underdogs and that suits us. That's exactly how we were last season and we ended up as champions." While many clubs have swapped and changed their line-ups during the winter, Little Lever continue with the vast majority of the squad that won the title.

The only absentees are Bob Waller who has joined Tonge while their overseas amateur Simon Helmot is not coming over this year. He was set to be replaced by Mark Higgs, who was at Bradshaw last season but he became unavailable and recommended another Aussie Jason Swift, a left-hand number four bat and medium pace bowler.

"Simon gave us 700 runs and was excellent in the field and obviously we are disappointed he can't get back this year but hopefully Jason will give us another bowling option as well as scoring runs, " said Tim Wallwork.

And the most potent item of Little Lever's challenge is still the bowling, spearheaded by the Whittle brothers and Simon Ainsworth.

Pro Mel won the League's Professional Prize last season when he picked up 87 wickets while brother Les collected a further 72 and Ainsworth 37 but according to Wallwork it was the team spirit they created that was probably the main reaason behind the championship win. "We thought we were a good top six side before the season but the spirit that was created meant we were buzzing from the start and it never let up. As bowlers Mel and Les complemented each other; if one was perhaps taking some punishment from a batsmen, the other brother was probably tying them up and taking wickets at the other end.

"Other clubs can have professionals from all over the world but I'm delighted with a man from just down the road, whose getting on a bit. He's the best and wish he was half his age. I would love to keep him young.

THE Bolton League does not centre around Little Lever and Kearsley.

Clubs such as Farnworth, Tonge, Walkden, Horwich, in fact all of the 14 teams will fancy their chances of finding some success.

That's proved by the close season team strengthening activities, which has seen a good number of players moving around.

In fact the pre-season player merry-go-round in the Bolton League is probably only matched by the moves to beat the transfer deadline in soccer.

Here are some that we know about:

Brett Collins from Walshaw, Mark Stewart (British Aero) and Andrew Sidley (Haslingden) have joined Greenmount; Russell Dabson (Formby), Scott Henderson and Carl Drinkwater (both Horwich) go to Farnworth; Ian Taylor (Farnworth), Bob Waller (Little Lever), Gary Garner (Clifton) join Tonge, Wayne Huntley leaves Castle Hill to play outside the League; Australian batsman David Beattie is the overseas amateur and goes with Simon Harrison (Little Lever) at Farnworth SC, while, as mentioned elsewhere, David Tattersall (Tonge), David White (Horwich), Paul Berry (Leyland) and Richard Powell (Leyland) head for Kearsley and Jason Swift (Australia) is Little Lever's overseas player.

Wayne Harper (Sale) returns to the League and joins Gary Tonge (Farnworth SC), Ian Critchley (Darwen) and Mike O' Rourke (Australia) at Egerton and Lee Sutton (Farnworth), Ian Nuttall (Darcy Lever) and Steve Dickinson join new pro Chris Sainsbury (Kearsley) at Heaton. Keith Boden (Leyland) returns to Bolton after a 16-year absence to become captain at Horwich, where he is joined by Robbie Edmundson from Bradshaw and Mark Knowles.

David Morris (St Annes), Andrew Snook (Brooklands) and Kearsley pair Simon Thomson and Scott Woods have stepped in at Bradshaw.

THE Bolton League have again scoured the world for their professionals with only three home-grown players breaking the overseas monopoly.

Astley Bridge... Shahid Mahboob (Pakistan)

Bradshaw... Paul Rayment (South Africa)

Eagley... Dirkie de Vos (South Africa)

Egerton... Tinus Enslin (South Africa)

Farnworth... Brad Hodge (Australia)

Farnworth SC... Craig Ballantyne (South Africa)

Greenmount... Andy Williams

Heaton... Chris Sainsbury (Australia)

Horwich... Grant Long (South Africa)

Kearsley... Steve Dublin (West Indies)

Little Lever... Mel Whittle

Tonge... Iqbal Sikander (Pakistan)

Walkden... Bernard Reidy

Westhoughton... Rod Estwick (West Indies)

THE record breakers will again be in action at Tonge this season.

Pakistan pro Iqbal Sikander smashed a 54-year-old league record last year of most wickets in a season with 133.

And the Castle Hill side doubled up on that with wicket-keeper Jon Partington creating a new mark for most victims in a season, 51.

THIS WEEKEND'S FIXTURES

SATURDAY

FORT Sterling Bolton League: Astley Bridge v Greenmount, Bradshaw v Little Lever, Egerton v Westhoughton, Farnworth v Farnworth SC, Horwich v Eagley, Kearsley v Tonge, Walkden v Heaton.

Vimto Bolton Association: Blackrod v British Aero, Daisy Hill v Standish, Edgworth v Darcy Lever, Elton v Atherton, Golborne v Clifton, Spring View v Adlington, Walshaw v Little Hulton.

SUNDAY

Vimto Bolton Association: Adlington v Daisy Hill, Atherton v Walshaw, British Aero v Edgworth, Clifton v Elton, Darcy Lever v Spring View, Little Hulton v Blackrod, Standish v Astley & Tydlesley.

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