THIS year hasn’t started any better weather wise with local football again decimated by heavy rain.

Most pitches are saturated and it will take several dry days for some pitches to be playable.

One pitch that seems to be resistant to the rain is Bootle’s Millholme which underwent major work last summer, and they are certainly reaping the rewards.

On Saturday a youthful Bootle reserves put in a good performance to overrun Coniston reserves in the Furness Premier League Division Two, winning 5-0. Man of the match was Aaron Bradley, who scored a hat-trick, with Will Singleton and Chris Scott also on target.

That was the only game of the 17 scheduled FPL games to survive and it was a similar story in other leagues.

In the West Lancashire League Division One Dalton United managed to get a game under their belts as they played Burscough Richmond on a 3G pitch in Skelmersdale.

League leaders Burscough took the lead after 10 minutes but Dalton responded well with Gareth Jones, Andy Frazer and Joe Fidler all going close to an equaliser. However it stayed 1-0 at half-time.

The equaliser did come in the 53rd minute when goal machine Jones combined with Fraser to pull Dalton level.

Dalton then had a good penalty appeal turned down and unfortunately Burscough went down the other end and scored what proved to be the winner.

A 2-1 defeat was disappointing for the managers Dan Myles and Graham Bickerstaff, but they were delighted with the performance and the youngsters are improving every week.

A neutral would have found it impossible to tell which team was top of the table and which team was bottom as there was very little between the sides on the day.

All the West Lancs Premier Division games were off and the only game in Division Two was on a 3G pitch with Milnthorpe Corinthians inflicting a first league defeat on leaders CMB in a goalfest at Dallam School. Milnthorpe won 8-4 having been 5-0 up after 28 minutes.

Only four of the 19 North West Counties games were played with Holker Old Boys’ match at Barnton one of those postponed and in the North Lancs League only three games were played.