WHEN a women's rounders team played against a team of men there was one catch -- the blokes had to dress up as ladies.
But they did not mind since they were raising money in memory of a young mother who died from cancer.
Mother-of-one Janine Holden, aged 31, died in May from cervical cancer that had spread without her knowing. The only sign she had of her illness was backache after exercise but, by the time she visited the doctor, it was too late.
Her husband Lee and nine-year-old son Ryan got together with friends from the Brooklyn pub, Green Lane, Farnworth, to organise a fancy dress rounders match.
The Lever's 11, where Janine played for four years, lined up against a team of Lee's friends who were all given a handicap -- they had to dress as women.
The teams were cheered on at the Walker's Institute pitch, off Walker Lane, Great Lever, on Monday, and raised £475.
The Friday before, Brooklyn landlady Janet Metcalfe held a karaoke night and raised £425 but sponsorship is still coming in. In all, they have raised more than £1,500 for Bolton Hospice where Janine Holden died this year.
Lee, a welder, said: "The whole weekend went really well and we have raised a lot of money, I'm really chuffed. But we plan to raise a lot more with a charity cricket match and football match very soon.
"Janine was very comfortable at the Bolton Hospice, she felt at ease and was treated kindly so we felt we had to do something to thank them."
Lee has not worked since Janine died and has struggled to come to terms with his loss but says Ryan has dealt with it well.
They have been on two holidays abroad together since Janine died.
Janine created a memory box for her son Ryan, aged nine, with all her favourite things inside. She even bought a man's ring for him to wear when he is older with a stone from her engagement ring embedded inside.
Janine died in Bolton Hospice on May 30 with Lee, her family and best friend Joanne Roberts by her side. She spent the final two weeks of her life there - with Ryan sleeping on a camp bed for the last few days.
Janine attended St William of York Primary school and then Mount St Joseph's High School.
She met husband Lee in 1990 when they ended up playing against each other in a pool game in a local pub.
The Daniel Bedingfield song If You're Not the One was played at her funeral as Janine said this summed up how she felt about Lee.
Before she died, Janine requested that instead of flowers people should make donations to her son's school, St William of York Primary school, so the children could go on a trip in her memory, and also to Bolton hospice.
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