AUSTRALIAN Test star Shane Warne watched his Victoria team-mate Brad Hodge sweep Ramsbottom to victory in the Worsley Cup final at Bacup yesterday.
Having helped the tourists wrap up another Ashes victory with more than two days to spare at Trent Bridge, Warne took the opportunity to drop in at Lanehead along with international colleagues Colin Miller and Damian Fleming.
The legendary leg-spinner, who had a season in the Lancashire League with Accrington 10 years ago, signed autographs while Hodge went to work out in the middle.
The Ramsbottom professional guided his side to a six-wicket win with five overs to spare with an unbeaten 86, as the Acre Bottom club overhauled Bacup's 190 all out to repeat their triumph of five years ago.
Hodge was delighted to see his team-mates from Down Under and joked about a Test call-up after taking his aggregate to 270 runs in this season's Worsley Cup competition. He said: "They're top blokes and hopefully with Steve Waugh out injured they'll go back and say Brad Hodge is hitting it well!"
Warne and fellow Lancashire League old-boys Miller and Fleming were due back at Nottingham this morning for more practice, while Hodge will head home in the winter with plans to push home his international credentials.
And he is delighted to be leaving some silverware in the Acre Bottom trophy cabinet after two highly successful seasons with Ramsbottom.
He added: "I was really happy to win it. We were close to winning the league last year and I set my goals at the start of the season to win one of the two cup competitions.
"I felt a bit sorry for Bacup but we were probably robbed in the league last year."
Hodge's remaining target this summer is to break Ramsbottom's run record. And having posted 974 league runs so far, he has Chris Harris's 1995 tally of 1,231 well within his sights.
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