BOLTON Association officials were somewhat surprised when they heard the Northern League line-up for their Lancashire inter-league clash at Blackpool last week.

And so too were the competition sponsors, the Manchester Evening News. So much so in fact that they are now considering whether to continue with their backing of the competition.

Since the Northern League selected the side for the game at Stanley Park, nine players pulled out, five of them to play for their club side Chorley in the Lancashire Knockout

They included Roland Horridge, the Northern League's captain, the 'Bolton contingent' from the Chorley club - Nigel Heaton, Neil Senior and James Fazackerly plus Gordon Lee, the ex-Blackrod pro and Adrian Darlington of St Annes, the former British Aero professional. A spokesman for the sponsors said: "It is not a hard and fast rule that the League has priority over the demands of its member clubs but we felt that what the Northern League did was not in the spirit of the competition.

"To have so many players pull out was an insult to us as sponsors, the Bolton Association and the spectators, many of whom had travelled from Bolton expecting to see a full strength Northern League side.

"As sponsors we are now considering whether to continue with our support."

Ken Wilton, secretary of the Northern League, admitted that the players were given permission to pull out of the game.

"Chorley wanted to switch their Lancashire Knockout game with Sefton to the week before so their players could play at Blackpool but they were already down to play an Abbot Ale game and could not alter that fixture.

"The Sefton game could then only be played on the same day as the inter-league match and when it was brought up at a recent meeting, our clubs agreed to the players being allowed to play for Chorley instead of the League". It is usually an unwritten rule that the Lancashire inter-league dates should be kept clear but with some clubs involved in two knockout competitions, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find free Sundays.

However, most leagues, such as the Bolton Association and the Bolton League, insist league selection comes before club fixtures.

That was highlighted this week when Kearsley, who had four players in the Bolton League team, had to play their Lancashire Knockout tie with Farnworth over two midweek nights instead of last Sunday.

Also the Bolton Association were not happy with the facilities at Blackpool.

When the players arrived they found the dressing rooms at Stanley Park locked and few net facilities to warm up while the refreshments for spectators were almost non-existent.

Ken Wilton said his own League had expressed some disappointment with the arrangements made by the Blackpool club and promised a full inquiry.

He also added that when the Northern league next played an inter-league fixture it was 'very unlikely' to be staged at Blackpool.

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