When do you lot start ?

 

We start 26th April away at Little Hulton!

Standard fare unfortunately. 

Entitled cunts with no discipline. 

Need a serious twatting.

7 hours ago, Carlos said:

Standard Harwood kids, soft as shite, wouldn't dream of going to TM or Bmet so stay safe.

5 hours ago, Tonge moor green jacket said:

Standard fare unfortunately. 

Entitled cunts with no discipline. 

Need a serious twatting.

Whilst there are doubtless local kids amongst them, previous incidents where the club’s CCTV images have been used on social media show they really do come from all over Bolton.

Possibly a result of Canon Slade not being a “local school for local kids” which ensures friendship groups are wider than ours were at a similar age. That and the fact I’d fear a twatting off a copper and then my dad if I’d been caught doing stuff like that.

No fear of such punishment these days.

17 minutes ago, MickyD said:

Whilst there are doubtless local kids amongst them, previous incidents where the club’s CCTV images have been used on social media show they really do come from all over Bolton.

Possibly a result of Canon Slade not being a “local school for local kids” which ensures friendship groups are wider than ours were at a similar age. That and the fact I’d fear a twatting off a copper and then my dad if I’d been caught doing stuff like that.

No fear of such punishment these days.

This, with bells on.

Lad needs some practice with his air rifle- sounds like there are some suitable targets.

I’d happily help you knock the fuck out of them, just turn the CCTV off.

13 minutes ago, Carlos said:

I’d happily help you knock the fuck out of them, just turn the CCTV off.

This is probably what needs to happen.

Install the fencing, leave the gate open.
Once they're in lock the gates, turn the cameras off and knock ten colours of shit out of the little bastards.

Merger with Ribblesdale League according to Twitter. 

1 hour ago, superjohnmcginlay said:

Merger with Ribblesdale League according to Twitter. 

That's been a rumour all along. Can't say it sounds too appealing.

Have Ribblesdale agreed to the merger?

 

What about the former Bolton Association? Are they counted in this?

11 clubs in the league have voted for the merger, so assume association clubs too, no word from Ribblesdale If merger has been agreed from what I’ve seen but assumption is that it has with Bolton league tweeting it. Might be wrong though! 
 

1 minute ago, superjohnmcginlay said:

11 clubs in the league have voted for the merger, so assume association clubs too, no word from Ribblesdale If merger has been agreed from what I’ve seen but assumption is that it has with Bolton league tweeting it. Might be wrong though! 
 

Yes, I doubt anyone could announce a merger with a different league without both leagues being up for it. Otherwise we should announce a merger between Bolton and Premier League… or perhaps Champions League.

1 hour ago, MickyD said:

What about the former Bolton Association? Are they counted in this?

That doesn't exist.

Ribblesdale clubs to vote by mid-September. Seems odd to announce this before the RCL have even voted!

Some proposals for the merged league are 12:30pm starts, 2nd XIs stay in their own leagues, 45 overs per side & no racist cunts allowed......

4 hours ago, DazBob said:

That doesn't exist.

I get that but is 11 clubs all that’s left after the merger?

1 hour ago, MickyD said:

I get that but is 11 clubs all that’s left after the merger?

There are only 11 clubs left, which is why the BCL are merging with another league.

6 hours ago, DazBob said:

That's been a rumour all along. Can't say it sounds too appealing.

Some cracking away days there.

7 hours ago, Traf said:

Some cracking away days there.

I'm sure there are some lovely grounds, but the prospect of setting off for a 2 hour round trip, in the rain, knowing yhat rain is forecast all day, isn't particularly appealing. 

1 hour ago, DazBob said:

I'm sure there are some lovely grounds, but the prospect of setting off for a 2 hour round trip, in the rain, knowing yhat rain is forecast all day, isn't particularly appealing. 

No different than GMCL really

2 minutes ago, MickyD said:

No different than GMCL really

Which is what nobody wanted, hence the decision by so many not to join. 

Unfortunately, an eleven team league, which means no promotions or relegations, is pretty pointless so I suppose the BCL has been left with little choice but to seek a merger elsewhere.  

GMCL weren't allowing any new teams to join next season once the news Westhoughton and Horwich were joining broke.  That's not to say any of the remaining eleven BCL teams won't join the GMCL in the future.

 

1 hour ago, DazBob said:

Which is what nobody wanted, hence the decision by so many not to join. 

Unfortunately, an eleven team league, which means no promotions or relegations, is pretty pointless so I suppose the BCL has been left with little choice but to seek a merger elsewhere.  

GMCL weren't allowing any new teams to join next season once the news Westhoughton and Horwich were joining broke.  That's not to say any of the remaining eleven BCL teams won't join the GMCL in the future.

 

Which is pretty much what a separate Bolton League and Bolton Association was for a long time. 

Who’s left?

Next question: Who’s left that can play cricket to a standard high enough to make a league viable?

During the old BCL, just about all of the clubs had, at some point, won the league. I doubt that’d be the case now. I doubt Walkden, Farnworth and Social Circle would be too happy pasting all comers each weekend. It’d get boring.

46 minutes ago, MickyD said:

Which is pretty much what a separate Bolton League and Bolton Association was for a long time. 

Yes, it was.  But becoming to leagues and having promotion and relegation made it much better.  IMO of course ... although some established BCL clubs were furious at the prospect of being in a league below a former Association team.

The eleven left are Lostock, Walkden, Kearsley, Farnworth, Social, Astley Bridge, Little Lever, Atherton, Blackrod, Tonge and Eagley.

 

12 minutes ago, MickyD said:

During the old BCL, just about all of the clubs had, at some point, won the league. I doubt that’d be the case now. I doubt Walkden, Farnworth and Social Circle would be too happy pasting all comers each weekend. It’d get boring.

It's nigh on impossible for the vast majority of teams to win the BCL (as it THIS season) given the amount of money thrown at players by certain clubs.

2 hours ago, DazBob said:

It's nigh on impossible for the vast majority of teams to win the BCL (as it THIS season) given the amount of money thrown at players by certain clubs.

I get that but surely that is something for the league to sort out. 

Just now, MickyD said:

I get that but surely that is something for the league to sort out. 

You can set as many rules as you want with regards to how many players are being paid, but who is going round to check if any players are actually "working behind the bar".  Alternatively, how are they going to know if a third party is paying players?

Thing is though, this isn't what has caused the BCL to get in the position it has. 

Too many clubs have been run badly and there's also the problem that in certain areas kids just aren't interested in playing the game, which results in no youth setups and therefore no kids naturally progressing through to the first team.  Sadly, the flip side of this is also a problem, where kids are keen but see no chance of progression because the first team is full of mercenaries.  Mercenaries who, let's say, refuse to play T20 games on a Friday night because they won't get paid for it.