ALL in all, last weekend was a good one for Bolton Wanderers, Walkden, Iqbal Sikander and Heaton 2nd XI, writes Peter Stafford.

Come to that, it was also a good one for Celtic, Kearsley, Danny Payne and Astley Bridge Under 13s, and doubtless many other local teams and individuals.

However, I can only write about what I actually saw, and my sporting weekend began at the Reebok, where Bolton scored two goals, neither of which will be bettered between now and next May. Preston, on the other hand, must have been kicking themselves all the way back up the M61, having missed enough chances to win four matches!

When I drove on to the Walkden ground, the home side, having hit 194 for 8, was just about in control of things, and I arrived in the nick of time to see Andy Seddon's spectacular catch to get rid of Neil Hart at 82 for 3. David Morris had already gone, and so Walkden's task was half-completed, although the other half of Bradshaw's batting, Bahutule, was still there and, while he remained, all was possible. I make the point of the importance of those two batsmen to the club, because, of the 3,665 runs scored off the bat by Bradshaw this season., 54pc have come from Morris and Bahutule, who have hit seven centuries between them.

Incidentally, while the Bradshaw pro was on strike. Walkden shamelessly deployed eight boundary fielders, thus inviting him to take the single in order for them to get at the lesser lights in the side. These are intelligent. time-honoured tactics, I hasten to add, but they did highlight a possible change of rule which many people are currently discussing, that of the restricting circles commonly in operation in first-class one-day competitions which I would certainly like to see brought in locally for 'most runs wins' cup-ties.

Bahutule's innings was eventually ended by a superb delivery from John Smith. and now Bradshaw had little left to offer against the Smith-Reidy-Smith bowling combination. Ironically, the only time I've seen that particular attack taken apart was by Potgieter in last year's 2nd Round Hamer Cup-tie on the same ground, but, with the South African now a distant memory, the visitors could only add a further handful of runs before the final wicket fell at 110. John Smith had bowled particularly well, taking 5 for 47, and Bradshaw's dismal run, during which they have not won since mid-July, had continued.

On Saturday night, Tonge Cricket Club bade a fairly premature au revoir to Iqbal Sikander, who has served them so superbly in recent times. Presentations were made, and glowing tributes paid, and in a reply, which seemed to last almost as long as one of his 25-over spells, Iqbal showed that he is as eloquent with a microphone in his hand as he is destructive with a similarly-held cricket ball! His avowed target is now 800 wickets in his seven years at Castle Hill, for which he needs 18 more in the last four games. If he is to achieve them, he will have to do it the hard way, with Westhoughton, Morris and Bahutule, Kearsley and Jason Swift, Egerton, and possibly rain, standing between him and his goal!

In recent years, we have been blessed with a succession of excellent Birtwistle Cup Finals, and last Sunday's at Castle Hill certainly carried on the tradition. Underdogs Tonge got away to a fine start when Rob Rawlinson contributed 79 towards an opening stand of 109 with Alan Bradbury. who finished with 44. At various stages a potentially testing total of 250-260 looked to be on the cards, but it was Paul Mort, introduced late in the innings, who pegged things back. At one point he took 4 wickets in 11 balls, and his eventual 5 for 40 was almost totally responsible for Tonge being restricted to a very gettable 221.

But Heaton, in pursuit of much the same sort of total they achieved in the 1997 Little Lever Final, made a dreadful start. Steve Holt and Nick Biggar reduced them to 11 for 2, and although Steve Butcher's 45 improved matters, it was only when Paul Mort and Andy Patterson came together that thoughts began to turn towards the possibility of a Heaton win. Their running between the wickets was audacious, not to say at times suicidal, but it began to pay off. Patterson went for 58, and it was Nigel Smith who helped Mort in the final surge to victory, and the club's fourth Final win in seven years came in the grand manner with a Smith six over mid-wicket.

Smith finished on 36 not out, one short of his unbeaten innings three years ago at Little Lever, and the coincidence continued when Mort, who had added an inspirational and undefeated 50 to his five wickets, was voted Man-of-the-Match, as he had been in 1997.

Tonge, who badly missed Ian Senior and Andrew Kerr, could find some consolation in the excellent bowling spell produced by wrist-spinner Adam Rodzoch, who took 2 for 32. Their defeat could be partially put down to their inability to capitalise on a good start, but, in the final analysis, it was the determined batting of Butcher, Patterson and Smith, and particularly the influential all-round cricket played by Paul Mort that deservedly won the day.