IT is 2018 and another season to look forward to and the end of a busy winter.

The winter months have been spent updating records for Lostock and creating a set of records for Lancashire Women as well as laying down the groundwork for an updated history of Lostock to help celebrate our 80th anniversary this year.

A trip to Lord’s for a presentations day in March got me thinking about a new wish list, having passed my initial target of 100 different grounds to score on, and see if I could complete a full set of England’s Test grounds before I finally put my pens away for good.

Old Trafford, Headingley and Edgbaston are already ticked off, and this summer should see The Oval and Ageas Bowl added to the list.

If I am still involved when the new franchise competition starts that should enable me to add Trent Bridge, Cardiff and Lord’s, which would just leave Durham.

My scoring season began when a sudden burst of good weather ensured Lostock's first game of the season in the Bolton Cricket League [BCL] went ahead as planned at Horwich.

Considering both teams looked rusty (as were both scorers) it was a cracking game to start the season in front of a healthy crowd spoiled only by the fact RMI came out on top thanks to a great knock from Brett Pelser.

The following day saw us travel to Chorley for a National KO game and, unfortunately, the weather reverted to type and we had a rain-interrupted afternoon before again tasting defeat.

I haven’t been on Chorley for a while but you always seem to get a good friendly welcome there.

The score box is elevated and affords a pretty good of (most) of the sizeable playing surface.

Looking around the ground the net facilities are absolutely superb, and it is a comfortable if small lounge that awaits you after the game.

The new honours boards on the walls look particularly impressive too.

Dave, the Chorley scorer, is a great character and really enjoys himself on the PA system announcing batsmen and bowlers etc.

It was just a pity his announcements were heard by relatively few people on the day.

Sadly, our first league game of the season the following Saturday fell foul of a stubborn wet patch on the outfield that refused to dry up and the game was postponed.

At times like this you really have to feel for the groundsmen who spend countless hours tending their precious grounds only to be beaten by the weather, which is, of course, out of their control.

Sunday dawned clear but cold as it was off to Fleetwood for a warm-up game for the girls.

The sky remained clear thankfully but the temperature was more like February with a brisk cold wind coming in off the sea.

Never having been to the Fleetwood club before I was surprised to find it larger than I had been led to expect with a long, well-appointed single-storey clubhouse.

A very high-spirited christening party in the function room gave us a lively musical background as the girls battled a tricky pitch and the testing weather, but the weather held and it was mission accomplished.

Negotiating your way out of the chaotic car park was fun but it was a good day and another ground to add to the list.

The next week we had a long trek to play Middlesex and Kent away.

An early afternoon departure from Old Trafford afforded a rare opportunity to watch a bit of cricket there in glorious sunshine, and it was great to see Bolton’s Matt Parkinson clean up the Somerset tail before we set off on the long haul south.

The first game against Middlesex was staged at Mill Hill School – I suppose a similar sort of establishment to Bolton School, although also a boarding school.

The facilities are excellent, as you might expect, and each panel of the timbered interior of the pavilion has the names of all the first XI players listed season by season around the room.

The playing area is a really good size and superbly manicured with the bonus of two separate four-lane net facilities.

The sun was beating down and, thankfully, we made short work of them as we raced to a 10-wicket win for a great start to the campaign.