WITH Bury's first team having not progressed to the second round of the Powergen Vase, it is time to have a look at the bigger picture.

It was nice, however, to see that Crewe and Nantwich, victors over Bury in the first round, have progressed with a victory over league rivals Burnage.

The club will prosper only if it fosters players from the youth section.

Any Sunday morning you will see a minimum of 100 boys and girls assembled at the Radcliffe Road ground.

They range in age from eight through to senior colts at 17 plus.

The driving force behind this is youth organiser Derek Heath, starting with half-a-dozen youngsters some seven years ago, he and his willing supporters are breaking new ground.

The club is fielding sides at all levels, but particularly the U15/U16 and Senior Colts, who are the life blood if the aspirations to playing at least two leagues higher at first 15 level are to be achieved, these are the sides, from where the future first teamers will come.

Coaches Andy Clifford, William Stanners, David Tuckermann and Rob Swinburn are achieving very credible results at U15/U16 level, last Saturday they had a well deserved win against Orrell.

It is the results of the senior colts that is the most remarkable, by an anomaly in the seeding of teams, Bury see themselves in League C of the northern region, on the basis of the six games played to date, in which they have amassed 220 points and conceded only 57 and are at the top of their division - last Saturday they won at Fylde by a margin of 58 points.

Coached by the messianic Matthew Fawcett and his gang of Gavin Dixon, Rick Roberts, Alec Wardle and Jason "Flump" Smyth, one can only see them going from strength to strength.

Also deserving praise are Glynn Smith, Andy Blenkharn, Rick Cross, Frank Wells and last but not least Richard Ward plus all their respective spouses and girlfriends.

Bury have 11, level one qualified coaches, with both First Aid and CRB RFU qualifications, one Level 2 coach and two qualified referees in Smyth and Cross.

Tomorrow the first 15 visit Eccles in the league programme KO 3.00pm.