BURY'S best young teenage cricketers made it third-time lucky after winning an unprecedented hat-trick of district trophies.

The town's under-15s side beat Sefton by 57 runs at Southport and Birkdale Cricket Club in the final of the LCB Ainsworth Trophy.

It was the third county cup success for the group of youngsters, following up previous victories in the Bob Hurst Rosebowl at u11s level and the Hacking Cup at u13s.

The final had been postponed twice and was reduced to 40 overs after the start was delayed as a result of heavy dew.

The damp conditions made the pitch difficult to bat on, but Ramsbottom's JJ Fielding showed his class to score 64 after opening the batting.

His innings, which included six boundaries, laid the foundation for victory against a talented Sefton side.

Wicketkeeper Ben Parkinson, of Walshaw, helped the score along with a useful 20 in the middle of the innings, while club-mate Sam Rhodes finished unbeaten on 18 as Bury closed on an impressive 145-6.

A feature of the side's success has been the wickets of spin twins Lleyton Belston, of Bury, and Walshaw's Sam Openshaw.

Father and son coaching team Paul and Jordi Belston chose to open with the pair during the group stages of the competition and stuck with the ploy into the knockout rounds.

They finished with more than 25 wickets in the competition between them and all but ended Sefton's hopes with a devastating spell in the final after reducing their opponents to 16-6 from the opening 11 overs.

Openshaw took the top three wickets and ended with figures of 4-7 from eight overs, which included six maidens, while Belston managed 2-22 from eight overs with four maidens.

David Jump did well to stem the flow of wickets for Sefton, scoring 30 after coming in at number seven before he was bowled by Belston.

He went with the score on 69-9, and while Sefton's last two batsmen put on 19 for the final wicket it was a matter of when rather than if Bury would get over the line.

Three other bowlers weighed in with wickets, with Elton's Hisham Masood taking 2-14, and Ramsbottom's Owen Collinge and Oliver Pilkington, of Walshaw, sharing the other two.

Paul Belston was overjoyed with the overall display in what was his final game in charge after spending 12 years working as a volunteer coach in the district set-up.

He said: "Well done all. A very proud achievement by young talented cricketers from many clubs in the district of Bury.

"The team were superbly led throughout by the captain – Jack Doyle, of Prestwich – and Jordi and I enjoyed a great rapport with the lads.

"They were a pleasure to both coach and manage.

"We have certainly not achieved this alone, though. The district squad is supported by Bury Cricket Development Group, which meets monthly with representatives from all clubs within the district.

"The development group plays a key role, helping with the finance and administration of the LCB District Cricket Programme.

"It is led by volunteers Matthew Metcalfe, from Bury, and Geoff Hall, of Elton.

"Their hard work behind the scenes has been integral to the team's success."

Paul will now concentrate on young player recruitment at Bury CC.