AN estimated 2,500 visitors raised their pint glasses to ensure Atherton and Tyldesley Round Table's 15th Bent and Bongs Beer Bash was another huge success.

"It went very well," said Honorary Round Tabler and beer festival stalwart Brian Gleave.

Organisers are still busy totting-up totals but say they don't expect to beat last year's record-breaking figure of £20,000, although they anticipate a sizeable sum for local Scouts and Guides and the Francis House and Family Rainbow Trust.

But the organisers and would-be festival goers faced the usual Friday and Saturday night problems, with queues created by shortage of glasses, and pure volume of numbers.

Mr Gleave explained: "We have tried looking for a bigger venue but there isn't one. On Friday there were just too many people wanting to get in."

First drinks to run dry were the ciders and festival organisers reported a roaring trade in Taylor's Landlord, Exmoor Gold and Dent Aviator.

And choice Continental brews were served at the bar sponsored by The Bolton Evening News' sister paper the Leigh, Tyldesley & AthertonJournal .

Many gave the thumbs up to Festival chairman John Hicks' choice brew of Sarah Hughes Dark Ruby Mild and Danish Red Erik lager proved a potent pleaser in the line up of beers from around the world.

Bash sponsors were: Ace Scaffolding, ACKTRANS, Acorn Home Textile, Aquaclenz, Astley Hire, Astley Rotary, Atherton Indoor Karting, Atherton Recruitment, B Kirkham and Sons, Bank Top Brewery, Best Cellars, Birchalls Skip Hire, Borrow, Shaw and Co, Bowland Brewery, Burtonwood Brewery, Carters Catering, Coachhouse Brewery, CTA Direct, Cumfirest, Daleysmove, Dootson Eckersley Hope, Electronic Detection and Security, Flying Firkin, Gadbury AutoSalvage, Gibfield Garage, GTC Engineering, HR Construction, Hacker Young, Hayes & Co, Heals solicitors, Hepworth & Hall, Hi Tec Scaffolding, Hibberts, Hindley Prison Social Club, Hook Norton Brewery, Hoyles Chem Dry, Hydes Brewery, J Shaw, J W Lees, KMS, Last Orders Inn, Laycocks, Leigh West Park Morris Dancers, Lifting Gear Hire, Little Italy, Lowton Test Centre, Market St Chippy, Mid Lancs Labels, Moorhouses, NW Engineering, PA Hull & Co, Paramount Windows, Parson Royle & Co, Pauline & Bruce, Phoenix Brewery, Phone Direct, Portman Consultancy, R & J Recruitment, Recall Communications, Riverside Truck Rental, RMB Transport, S & J Wright, Scottish Equitable, Sharmans, Skylight, Slater Technical services, Spectrum Sign and Display, St John Ambulance, Standard Life, Taylor Electronics, The Anvil, The Far Pavilion, The Half Moon, The Hawthorns, The Home Company, The Leigh Journal, The Raj, The Royal, The Spinners Arms, The Top Lock, The Valley Chippy, Thompson Wealth Management, Tom Kelly, Two Tone Motors, W Lloyd & Associates, Waterfields, Yorkshire Bank.