Prelude: The Bolton News tend to make journalistic amendments to reports which I have to accept. However I did have a moan about the changes to the Ramsbottom –Ramsbottom match which they described as a “thrilling hard fought match”. I don’t think they liked the inference of the word ‘Miraculous’. However, consider the maths. The odds of one set going to five games is at least minimum one in three as quite a lot are won in three straight. The chance of nine going to five are three raised to the power nine or 19,683 to 1. In a sixty team, five division league producing 30 games a week for 22 weeks = 660 matches a year. So this would be expected to happen 19, 683/660 = just short of once every 30 years. This was discussed at our November Committee meeting. We think they deserve an audience next time.
My original report follows:
This week teams close together at the top their division played each other. In the Premier Division second and third placed Ramsbottom Cricket Club played Ramsbottom Town A with the result going to the Cricketers taking it 25-20. Every match went to five sets resulting in a high score for both sides. I think this deserves the word ‘Miraculous’ although I am sure there will be some raised eyebrows in some quarters. Top of the Division Flixton A easily beat Little Lever A 27-7 with all players on maximum nine points. Radcliffe Cricket Club beat bottom of the table Coburg A 27-8 to maintain a fifth place position with Robert Hall and Zac Cantor on nines. The remaining matches were much closer. Hilton A beat Nomads A 20-15 and Heaton A beat Ladybridge A 18-16 helped by a nine from Paul Ward.
In Division One top placed Burning Desire met second placed Acre Bottom and took it 25-12 with a nine from Ben Armstrong and maintaining their relative positions. Third placed Nomads B had a good win over mid-table Ramsbottom Town B 21-12 with Tim Vaughan taking nine points. The local Derby between Hilton B & C teams resulted in a 20-11 win for the B team despite a resisting nine from the C’s Andrew Morey. Closer encounters saw Farnworth SC A overcome Meadow Ben A 20-14 despite a resisting nine from David Holden. Wingates just beat BRASS A 18-16 helped by a nine from John Bradbury and there was a tie on 17 points between Coburg B and Little Lever Cricket Club B.
In another Derby Division Two’s top of the table Hilton D had a 22-14 win over their mid placed F team. All players got nines for Heaton Cricket Club B as the beat Meadow Ben B 27-6. Boyzone also had maximum nines at they beat hapless bottom of the table Top Spinners 27-4. Hilton E won against Heaton Cricket Club C 20-10 assisted by a nine for Gary Hilton. Bolton TTC A had a close 19-14 win over Ladybridge B despite a resisting nine from John Cole.
Division Three entertained another local Derby between two teams at the bottom of the table with Farnworth SC B beating their own C team 22-12 despite a resisting nine from Ben Wyatt. Two mid table teams on the same points met. St Paul’s Peel beat Meadow Ben C 23-12 assisted by a nine from Christopher Boys. Bolton TTC B beat Hilton G 19-10 with nines from Peter McCormick and Sam Greenhalgh.
In Division Four yet another Derby saw the two Hilton junior teams taking on each other with the I team beating the J team 26-6. Meanwhile second placed Hilton H just lost out to Irlam Steel 18-12 with David Yates on nine for Irlam. All players scored nine for third placed Meadow Hill A in beating Ladybridge C 27-5. In a final Derby, Meadow Ben D trounced bottom of the table Meadow Hill B 27-1.
