JOHN Charlson's 60 years as secretary of Atherton Cricket Club was recognised at a dinner on Friday night.

More than 100 people attended the event at Tyldesley Rugby Union Club where speeches were given by Mr Charlson and the mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, who spent a couple of years at Atherton as a junior player.

Mr Charlson occupied a number of roles in coaching and administration in local and county cricket during his long service to the game.

As well as being what has to be one of the longest-serving – if not the longest-serving – occupants of the same role at a local cricket club in the country, he was also chairman of the now-defunct Bolton and District Cricket Association league for more than a decade and its president for five years.

He was also manager and coach of the Lancashire Under-11s team for 21 years during which time he helped to bring through more than 20 players who went on to play county and/or international cricket, including Andrew Flintoff, Gareth Cross, Karl Brown, Kyle Hogg, Steven Mullaney, Alex Davies, Keith Barker, Michael Brown, Harry Dearden, Matthew McKiernan, and Bolton quartet Haseeb Hameed, Matt Parkinson, Callum Parkinson and Josh Bohannon.

Mr Charlson's many achievements at Atherton include being instrumental in the club having a new pavilion built in 1973, and, more recently, starting the Friends of Atherton Cricket Club organisation, which brings like-minded people together to meet and raise funds for the club.