The Bolton Cricket League is a cricket league comprising fifteen teams in and around Bolton, Greater Manchester in North West England. The league runs competitions at First Team, Second Team, Under 18, Under 15, Under 13 and Under 11 levels. It expanded after the 2015 season, with nine clubs joining from in and around the area.[1][2] However, the league lost two established clubs in the process, due to the formation of the Greater Manchester Cricket League in 2016.[3]
In October 2022, the Bolton Cricket League and the Ribblesdale Cricket League merged to create the North West Cricket League. Bolton League Club, Little Lever CC, were 'Senior Premiership' champions in the inaugural season, 2023.
History
editThe league was established in 1930 after breaking away from the Bolton Cricket Association.[4] The League Heahquarters is based at Barley Brook Meadow, Bolton, Lancashire.[5] The League also hold the Hamer Cup competition; a knockout cup competition for first teams in the Bolton Cricket League. The most successful team(s) to date is both Walkden and Farnworth who became league champions for the fourteenth time in 2019 and 2017 respectively.[6]
Champions
edit| Year | Club |
|---|---|
| 1930 | Farnworth |
| 1931 | |
| 1932 | Tonge |
| 1933 | Heaton |
| 1934 | Farnworth |
| 1935 | |
| 1936 | Bradshaw |
| 1937 | Farnworth |
| 1938 | Eagley |
| 1939 | Tonge |
| 1940 | Westhoughton |
| 1941 | Westhoughton |
| 1942 | Westhoughton |
| 1943 | Eagley |
| 1944 | Eagley |
| 1945 | Bradshaw |
| 1946 | Little Lever |
| 1947 | Farnworth |
| 1948 | Walkden |
| 1949 | Farnworth |
| Year | Club |
|---|---|
| 1950 | Walkden |
| 1951 | Walkden |
| 1952 | Walkden |
| 1953 | Horwich |
| 1954 | Bradshaw |
| 1955 | Horwich |
| 1956 | Westhoughton |
| 1957 | Little Lever |
| 1958 | Heaton |
| 1959 | Farnworth |
| 1960 | Farnworth |
| 1961 | Walkden |
| 1962 | Walkden |
| 1963 | Bradshaw |
| 1964 | Farnworth |
| 1965 | Farnworth |
| 1966 | Little Lever |
| 1967 | Tonge |
| 1968 | Tonge |
| 1969 | Tonge |
| Year | Club |
|---|---|
| 1970 | Astley Bridge |
| 1971 | Westhoughton |
| 1972 | Little Lever |
| 1973 | Tonge |
| 1974 | Kearsley |
| 1975 | Kearsley |
| 1976 | Bradshaw |
| 1977 | Bradshaw |
| 1978 | Horwich |
| 1979 | Kearsley |
| 1980 | Westhoughton |
| 1981 | Little Lever |
| 1982 | Kearsley |
| 1983 | Horwich |
| 1984 | Farnworth |
| 1985 | Farnworth Social Circle |
| 1986 | Kearsley |
| 1987 | Farnworth Social Circle |
| 1988 | Greenmount |
| 1989 | Walkden |
| Year | Club |
|---|---|
| 1990 | Kearsley |
| 1991 | Farnworth Social Circle |
| 1992 | Bradshaw |
| 1993 | Kearsley |
| 1994 | Farnworth Social Circle |
| 1995 | Little Lever |
| 1996 | Tonge |
| 1997 | Tonge |
| 1998 | Tonge |
| 1999 | Tonge |
| 2000 | Kearsley |
| 2001 | Walkden |
| 2002 | Tonge |
| 2003 | Walkden |
| 2004 | Westhoughton |
| 2005 | Farnworth |
| 2006 | Walkden |
| 2007 | Walkden |
| 2008 | Walkden |
| 2009 | Farnworth Social Circle |
| Year | Club |
|---|---|
| 2010 | Farnworth |
| 2011 | Greenmount |
| 2012 | Farnworth |
| 2013 | Little Lever |
| 2014 | Farnworth Social Circle |
| 2015 | Egerton |
| 2016 | Farnworth Social Circle |
| 2017 | Farnworth |
| 2018 | Walkden |
| 2019 | Walkden |
| 2020 | League suspended |
| 2021 | Horwich RMI |
League performance by season from 2011
edit| Key | |
|---|---|
| Gold | Champions |
| Blue | Left League |
| Red | Relegated |
| Club | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adlington | 14 | 10 | |||||||||
| Astley Bridge | 6 | 13 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 19 | |||||
| Atherton | 13 | 9 | |||||||||
| Blackrod | 11 | ||||||||||
| Bradshaw | 8 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 9 | ||
| Daisy Hill | 15 | 10 | |||||||||
| Darcy Lever | 16 | ||||||||||
| Eagley | 13 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 11 | 10 | 9 | ||||
| Egerton [a] | 11 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 1 | ||||||
| Farnworth | 5 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 8 | |
| Farnworth Social Circle | 4 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 3 | |
| Golborne | 17 | ||||||||||
| Greenmount | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | ||||||
| Heaton | 9 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 9 | 10 | ||||
| Horwich RMI | 2 | 4 | 9 | 4 | 13 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | |
| Kearsley | 10 | 9 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 4 | ||
| Little Hulton | 18 | ||||||||||
| Little Lever | 12 | 6 | 1 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 7 | 4 | |||
| Lostock | 6 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 6 | ||||||
| Standish | 20 | ||||||||||
| Tonge | 14 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 21 | 7 | ||||
| Walkden | 3 | 8 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |
| Westhoughton | 7 | 14 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 2 | |
| References | [7] | [8] | [9] | [10] | [11] | [12][13] | [14] | [15] | [16] | [17][b] | [18] |
Notable players
editA number of quality cricketers have played in the Bolton Cricket League including:
- Michael Atherton
- Ian Cowap[19]
- John Crawley
- Kapil Dev
- Charlie Griffith
- Matthew Hayden
- Ronnie Irani
- Dheeraj Jadhav
- Collis King
- Javed Miandad
- Sir Garfield Sobers
- Mark Taylor
- Mark Waugh
- Farokh Engineer
- Aiden Markram
- Devon Conway
- Atiq Uz-Zaman
- Agha Salman
- Josh Bohannon
- Callum Parkinson
- Matt Parkinson
- Haseeb Hameed
- Footballing brothers Gary Neville and Phil Neville also played in the Bolton Cricket League.[20]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Neil Bonnar (2 December 2014). "Bolton Cricket League clubs recognise need for change". Bury Times. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
- ^ Neil Bonnar (2 May 2015). "Bolton Cricket League announce major expansion plans with 10 new clubs and two divisions". The Bolton News. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
- ^ "Greater Manchester Cricket League". gtrmcrcricket.co.uk. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
- ^ "Bolton & District Cricket Association". boltondca.play-cricket.com. B&DCA. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
- ^ "Bolton Cricket League". boltoncl.play-cricket.com. BCL. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
- ^ "Bolton Cricket League Records". boltoncricket.co.uk. Bolton Cricket League. 2017. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
- ^ "1st XI Competition - 2011".
- ^ "1st XI Competition - 2012".
- ^ "1st XI Competition - 2013".
- ^ "1st XI Competition - 2014".
- ^ "1st XI Competition - 2015".
- ^ "1st XI Competition - 2016".
- ^ Neil Bonnar (6 April 2015). "The Bolton Cricket League to remain independent and looking into creating two divisions". The Bolton News. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
- ^ "1st XI Premiership - 2017".
- ^ "1st XI Premiership - 2018".
- ^ "1st XI Premiership - 2019".
- ^ "1st XI Premiership - 2020".
- ^ "1st XI Premiership - 2021".
- ^ Fennah, Richard (16 February 2016). "Death Of Nantwich Favourite, Ian Cowap, 65". Cheshire County Cricket League. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
- ^ White, Felix (12 March 2018). "Gary Neville: 'Cricket toughened me up a lot more than football'". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 October 2021.