BURY Seniors took the Red Rose League by storm this week with the display of the season at Chorley, to climb to third place in the County League Table.

Then for good measure, despite 11 changes for the home match against Colne, they made it two wins in four days, setting themselves up as genuine contenders for end of season honours.

On a sunny but windy morning at Chorley, skipper John Latham and Dave Bell were in rampant form against Ian Copland and Mike English, making light of the tricky conditions to power to victory 5&4. Jim Pilkington and P A Dawson were made to fight all the way to the 17th by a determined Peter Jones and Ken Smith before registering a 3&1 win, to give Bury a 4-0 lead.

Chorley hit back in the third rubber with Bury president, Vincent Gale and experienced partner Ted Foster proving no match on the day for Steve Lamb and Geoff Baldwin, who triumphed 4&2.

Bury’s middle order then stepped up to the plate with three successive victories by 3&2.

Firstly, Mike Howarth and Dave Dredge saw off the challenge of Jeff Wignall and Ian Mayor. Tim Whitehead and Stan Horne followed suit against Paul Weight and Frank Hulme and Brian Simper and Maurice Almond took Bury’s points total into double figures against Derick Moss and Keith Eckersley. Finally, Stuart Hindley and Ged Eckersley made it 12-2 to Bury with a 2&1 win against Stuart Devalle and Norman Smith

A much-changed Bury side took to the Unsworth Hall course on Thursday, for the visit of Colne and a much closer encounter ensued.

John Latham and Gordon Pilkington were locked in a see-saw game with David Kitson and Terry Gibbons before snatching victory with the last putt on the 18th.

Jimmy Pilkington and Peter Dawson found themselves in another feisty tussle before emerging 2&1 winners against A Binns and A Harker to give Bury a fine start against Colne.

Gerry Barnes and Ken Brown played some terrific golf to keep alive hopes of a whitewash, seeing off the challenge of J Graham and J Duerden 4&2.

But Colne were having none of it as they gradually came to terms with the Bury track. H Preston and D Harker tied a thrilling game with Jim Hardman and Brian Simper before colleagues S Ellis and P Standage won 2&1 against Mike Howarth and Colin Duckworth and M Brown and B Teunion pipped Billy Lawrence and Alan Lenthall, in an 18th green cliffhanger, to put the visitors right back in the match.

It was left to Brian Little and Derick Kenyon to steady the ship and secure the match with a 4&3 win against G Smith and D Hoyle, only for the visitors to narrow the gap again with a 4&3 to see off the challenge of Rod Davies and Stuart Hindley with Bury winning 9-7 after a magnificent days golf.