Off The Record, with Peter White

THE bowler shuffled past the umpire and launched a high, looping delivery which plunged rapidly towards the rough just outside the batsman's leg stump.

Trying to read the flight and the ultimate destination of the delivery, the batsman strode boldly forward, was comprehensively beaten by the turn and his head dropped as the wicketkeeper whipped off the bails.

We're talking leg-spinners here.

Shane Warne? No, Brian Bowling.

Everyone knows about Warne, the man who currently has England's batsmen in a fatal state of hypnosis.

He's arguably the finest exponent of the art the game has ever seen and has dominated in its greatest arena - Test match cricket.

But will the 27-year-old Victorian still be turning his arm over when the postman's knock brings notification that he is about to qualify for the old-age pension?

On Friday morning, Brian Bowling received a delivery instead of sending one down - informing him of his fast-approaching pensionable status.

Later that day, the 64-year-old turned out for the Rishton President's X1, along with several professionals and leading amateurs, and took four of the touring side Melbourne CC's wickets at a modest cost of 12 runs apiece.

You could almost hear the visiting Aussies chortling with anticipation when "BB" was called into the attack.

The smiles, however, were soon looking rather sickly as the man whose mild-mannered demeanour hides a ruthless cricketing brain made the usual laughing stock of his opponents. Mind you, he's been doing that for around half a century and there's no sign of him stopping.

"I still practice twice a week and play for the '40 Club' (a veterans team) as well in these games," said Brian.

"The thing is I just enjoy playing cricket, it's fantastic."

It's Brian Bowling the cricketer who is fantastic. A league career which began in the 1940s and ended in the mid-eighties brought spells with Leyland, Stalybridge (for three seasons as professional) and, most notably, East Lancs yielded a fair few runs, lots of wickets and plenty of honours.

There are six Lancashire League titles to look back on for starters, plus three hat-tricks and various other awards.

But all that means little alongside the enjoyment which BB has had from the game, and the pleasure he has given - is still giving - to those spectators who love to watch a "legger" in action.

Warne's rewards from the game of cricket, financial as well as in terms of honours, are on another planet compared to what league cricketers like Bowling accumulate.

And he deserves them. As Brian said: "It's great to watch him. He certainly gives it a rip and the batsmen seem to follow him as if they're mesmerised.

But the pleasure of still playing the game when most people have settled for slippers and a Sky TV subscription - not to mention the memories - make BB a very rich man in a different way.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.