Little Lever are planning a bumper Bolton welcome for Geoff Marsh, the manager of the Australian touring side.

Marsh was amateur for two years in 1981 and 1982 before becoming professional at Victory Road in 1984 and he has retained strong links with the club ever since.

Little Lever is usually his first port of call whenever he is in England while he has often thrown open the doors of his home in Western Australia to visiting Boltonians.

He has already been over to the club during this tour, breaking off from the one-day international at Headingley to visit old friends.

And when he returns in early July he will have 20 members of his family with him.

His immediate family, wife Michelle and childen Sean, Mitchell and Melissa will be here for the Old Trafford Test which gets under way on July 3 and the club are throwing a private party when he he will meet many old friends from the Bolton League.

Little Lever treasurer Harry Rushmore has been close friends with the Marsh family since he first met Geoff in 1984.

"Ironically Geoff was earmarked to play at Kearsley along with Glenn Hughes when he first made the trip to England but they couldn't take him and he came to Little Lever.

"He stayed with us then and we have been good friends ever since.

"We have been over there and my two sons Keith and Ian have spent their winters with Geoff and his family in Western Australia.

"We watched his Test career flourish and I think everyone connected with the club has been delighted with the success he has achieved in the game.

"He is a true friend of the club and for our part we are delighted to have played a part in his career."

And just to maintain the Little Lever-Western Australian connection, the club have been granted permnission for Geoff's son Sean to play a couple of Bolton League junior games while he is over here.

Geoff's career took off after he played at Little Lever. Maybe the same will happen to Marsh junior!

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