BOLTON and Bury’s seniors produced what may have been the first draw in their inter-league series history.

Chasing a target of 32 in the second innings at East Lancs Paper Mill Cricket Club, Bolton were restricted by a determined Bury in a thrilling clash of the open-age sides.

The two sides went into the open-age game with Bolton holding a 7-1 lead in the series.

Jo Heaton opened with two for Bury, the next two batters were dismissed without scoring, Clare Dorey was caught out on the first round in which the home side scored a dozen runs before two consecutive rounders by Heaton and one by Cheryl Greenwood boosted the score.

Heaton was caught out for 16 and Greenwood was out at first base as the first innings total reached 73, including 16 bad balls.

Bolton made a great start to their innings with Mel Howarth scoring three, followed by a rounder from Kerry Anderton.

Anderton and Rachel Foreshaw were both dismissed at first base on the second round and Vickie Hill scored a rounder before suffering the same fate. Howarth also included a rounder in her score, ending as top scorer with 22 and last batter before being caught out.

Three other batters reached double figures – Rachael Costello (11), Hill and Kirsten Jackson with 10 each. The Bolton total of 91, including 17 bad balls, gave the visitors a lead of 18.

Bury lost only one batter on the first round of the second innings and scored two threes, a two and a string of singles.

Heaton and Ellis Killcoyne scored rounders on the second innings and Heaton another next time round. But fantastic bowling by Costello made it a short innings with only Heaton batting five times before being denned.

All out for 49, and only seven bad balls, gave Bury a match total of 122, setting the visitors a target of 32, but Bury were not prepared to accept defeat and had Howarth caught off the first ball then caught Jackson and dismissed three more at first base.

After three rounds, Bolton had been reduced to just two batters. Following a couple of twos and a zero, Anderton hit a rounder to take her total to 10 when she was denned with Costello.

With a much reduced bad ball count of just nine, Bolton’s innings total of 31 meant the match was drawn at 122 apiece.

The final inter-league match of the season is the Golden Girls (over 60s) at Bury Sports Club on Friday.