MY team, Greenmount, had a very good win on Saturday that means we managed to reclaim top spot in the league.

We’re playing a bit better than earlier in the year but we still have a lot of teams at the top end to play so it won’t be easy to stay there but it’s a great gap we’ve established between us and fifth place as the top four and promotion was always the aim this year.

We’ve got a couple of lads away on holiday now but we feel those coming in can step up and do well. It’s just how it is, I used to have people asking me why lads would take holidays during the cricket season – it’s because the season goes from April to September so a lot have to do it or they get earache the rest of the year round from the missus.

It won’t be something I have to worry about soon, as I’ll be retiring and letting the younger ones take over. My body has earned a rest, for years all I did was play cricket during summer and football in the winter, though I stopped that a long time ago. I thought I would miss it more than I did, perhaps it’s a sign I stopped at the right time. Just the thought of going in for a crunching 50-50 tackle makes me cringe these days! Mind you, even playing cricket leaves me feeling the creaks until Wednesday.

Someone recently asked me if I could fill in for the Lancs over-50s but I had to politely decline. I just didn’t fancy playing Saturday and Sunday, and I can’t see myself joining another team to play regularly, otherwise there’s no point me retiring.

I’m sure I’ll end up doing something to do with cricket, but I’m the worst watcher in the world. As for something like being a scorer – no, don’t make me laugh. I think umpiring is a thankless task. The leagues could do with ex-players doing it. Not many do, and I won’t be, although I do respect anyone who has a go.

It is such a tough job, we’ve seen that in the Test, if the best in the world are shown up to be making bad decisions, what hope does Average Joe have? The game wouldn’t happen without them but they seem to get grief every week – and not just from me!

I don’t have any problem with aggression between players, mind you. It was part and parcel of the game when I started out. It was tough rivalry against people you knew well and knew how to wind up. We always met up, forgot about it afterwards and had a good laugh over a beer. Those rivalries used to spur me on, and a lot of others too, and made the game in the Bolton League what it was.

If I’m honest, my interest waned a little when we joined the GMCL, these days I don’t really know anyone in the other teams so it’s too late for me, but it will be down to the young lads in the local game to get that rivalry going again.