BURY Juniors were unable to stop the Bolton charge to overall victory in the inter-league series, suffering an innings defeat at Elton Vale Sports Club.

The second straight defeat in Bury's home home legs took the series score to 6-1 in Bolton's favour with three matches to play.

Bolton may have stormed to a 156-144 victory with an innings to spare, but there were mitigating factors for Bury, whose team selection was hampered by the fact the match clashed with prom night at most of the town's schools and colleges.

That resulted in a number of younger girls being given their first taste of inter-town competition.

Only one Bury batter failed to survive first time round, although Jasmine Harris and Abbie Alexander both recorded zeros.

Harris then scored two singles before being caught out, but redeemed herself in the second innings by scoring 14 and being last batter.

Alexander rode her luck with two more zeros and three singles, but helped her team by staying in and being last batter in the first innings.

Aimee Gilmore was top scorer with nine before being caught out and the home side finished with 54, which included 18 bad balls.

Bolton did not make the best of starts to their first innings, losing one batter on the first round, but four survived with no score. Lucy Brown opened with a rounder and survived a “no score”, but went on to score 23 before being hit out.

Abigail Lythgoe had two zeros in her first three rounds, but then went on to be Bolton’s top scorer with 24, including two consecutive rounders.

Georgia Lever (20), Olivia Hill and Priya Guhathakuta (both 18), Molliee Kenyon-Kellett (14) and Charlotte Gettings (10) all reached double figures as the visitors powered to a total of 156, which included 19 bad balls.

In the second innings, Bury immediately lost first batter Melanie Tattersall, hit out, and Natasha Smith, caught.

Hannah Milne started with a zero, but scored a rounder next time and went on to reach double figures, finishing with 11.

Substitute Katie Taylor scored two and all other Bury batters scored singles on the first round, but after three rounds, only five batters remained.

Gilmore was caught out for six, but the last four batters all reached double figures.

Charlotte McKenzie was top scorer with 17, last batter Harris finished with 14, although seven of these came after a “no score”, while Shannon Rhodes and Milne both scored 12.

In line with the other innings, the bowlers struggled and there were 21 bad balls in the Bury total of 90 for the innings, which took their match total to 144, a dozen short of forcing Bolton to bat again.

The intermediate (18-25) teams meet on Friday at the East Lancs Paper Mill Cricket Club ground in Radcliffe.