What a glorious weekend it was to play or watch cricket with plenty of sunshine, even if the temperature was above the normal.

All credit to players and umpires who stuck it out for 45 or 50 overs.

Extra drinks breaks were allowed to keep everyone hydrated and I was asked if there was any ruling on umpiring in extreme temperatures and said there was not. As long as there are plenty of drinks it was okay.

I have umpired in extreme temperatures in New Zealand and there they have a five-minute drinks break every hour, which was what happened more or less here on Saturday. But what about umpiring in the other extreme - cold?

Have we ever called a game off simply because it was too cold? I don’t think so, but in one match I did, instead of cold drinks being brought out, hot Vimto was the order of the day.

On Sunday, at the Hamer Cup final between Westhoughton and Astley Bridge I witnessed a bit of history being made in the BCL.

Astley Bridge were a founder member of the Bolton League and won the Hamer Cup for the first time in the 92-year history of the trophy.

It was nice to see both teams participate in a sporting manor, accepting umpires’ decisions and having respect for each other.

In speaking to the umpires afterwards, they said it was a pleasure to umpire and it certainly was great to watch, with plenty of runs, good catches, good bowling, and played in the true spirit of cricket. Well done to both teams.

On Saturday, I was able to help out a couple of scorers and then went on to watch the Farnworth seconds game against Westhoughton. If Farnworth won, they would be crowned champions of the second-team Premiership.

Westhoughton played well and at one stage had Farnworth eight wickets down, with 20 runs to score. Farnworth did get the runs and so received the trophy for winning their competition.

Earlier in the week I watched an under-11s match and it was so nice to see the enthusiasm of the young players. They applauded good fielding , encouraged the bowler if things weren’t going well and when batting supported each other - a good example for the future.