ALTHOUGH they beat Bolton Combination, 1-0 at Atherton L R last Thursday evening, the Open Age squad failed to qualify for a semi-final place in the play-offs for the North West Inter League Alliance Championship.

With either St Helens or Blackburn to qualify as Section Two runners-up, both leagues had equal points, equal goal difference, equal goals scored.

But the deciding factor was that Blackburn had beaten St Helens at Hoghton Road in their section game. In a great game on a rough surface, St Helens took an early lead when Gary Ball slotted home a great Paul Burke cross.

The Combination had the overall edge but could not score any more, but certainly ruled the game. Encouraging performances came from young newcomers, Paul Sinnott (Carborundum), Mike Pilkington - a talented midfielder from Sportsmans Athletic and Paul Thomas (Eccleston United) an energetic striker who certainly livened up the flagging legs in later stages.

Before that, Martin Hynes gave Bolton many unhappy moments before he retired with thigh problems. But the man of the match was the talented Child FC worker, Tommy Baker, whose many mazy runs gave Bolton many anxious moments.

On the Combination front, the Divisional Cup semi-finals took pride of place. In the D H Griffiths Cup - the Anchor, runners-up in the St Helens Star Premier Division, were too strong for Division One Carborundum, and went through 5-0, Gary Ball hitting three, Martin Hynes and Warren Griffiths adding further goals to reach the Bank Holiday final date.

Their opponents will be Rifle FC, who have to thank late sub Kevin Ratcliffe who came on to add two goals to Mark Tole's opener in seeing off Child Reserves 3-0. They meet at Prescot Cables FC on Monday morning May 3, kick off 1.15am. The Tom Worrall Cup Semis began with an eye-opener, as surprise packet Red Star (Rainford), at present at the foot of Division Three, survived a missed penalty by West Bank and came out on top to go through (at West Bank) 3-1 with goals from George Lee, Ian Hennessey and Philip Poynton. Their foes will be last year's finalists, Eccleston United, who had to progress through extra time to eliminate Billinge Reserves. The United hero was hat-trick scorer Gary Hughes. They now meet, again at Prescot Cables FC - Friday kick off 6.15pm at Ruskin Drive. Billinge Reserves meet Child Reserves in what threatens to be a great game to contest the Rainford Potteries Cup Final.

Old Congs (Haydock) had the better of a 12-goal thriller in Widnes, outscoring Chestnut Lodge 5-7. Steve Clark grabbed five goals in Child's walloping of a young BICC Reserves outfit and John Ashton's hat-trick was a major contribution to Glassblowers 7-3 win over Earlestown. Hall Street Union have clinched runners-up spot in Division Two and the runners-up place in Division Three has now gone to Billinge Reserves.

The Chestnut Lodge outfit from Division One are still at large in the Northern Cup competition, and are scheduled to host Radcliffe (Bury) side, MRG (Landscapes) at Widnes on Saturday May 1. RESULTS

Tuesday April 20

St Helens Star Premier Division: Rainford North End 2 Anchor 9, Beeches Reserves 0 Pilkington Reserves 1, Rifle FC 0 Child FC 1.

Division One: Carborundum 2 College Street 1, Child Reserves 4 Haresfinch Social 0.

Division Two: Bull and Dog 2 Nutgrove 6, West Bank 4 Glassblowers 3.

Division Three: Leach Lane 3 Grosvenor Park 1, Prescot BICC A 2 East Sutton Labour Reserves 5, Gerrard Arms Reserves 7 (Rainford) Red Star 1.

Thursday April 22

Division One: Clock Face Miners 3 Child Reserves 3, Billinge FC 3 Penlake Juniors 4.

Division Three: Leach Lane 1 Ritherhill 2, Prescot BICC A 2 Grosvenor Park 4.

North West Inter-league Alliance: Bolton Combination 0 St Helens Combination 1.

Saturday April 24

D H Griffiths Cup semi-finals: Rifle FC 3 Child Reserves 0, Carborundum 0 Anchor FC 5.

Tom Worrall Cup semi-finals: Eccleston United 3 Billinge Reserves 2, West Bank FC 1 Red Star Rainford 3.

St Helens Star Premier Division: Child FC 7 Prescot BICC Reserves 3

Division One: Junction 3 Billinge 3, Chestnut Lodge 5 Old Congs (Haydock) 7.

Division Two: Glassblowers 7 Earlestown 3.

Division Three: Leach Lane 3 Rainford North End Reserves 2, Prescot BICC A 5 Bewsey FC 4, Ritherhill 2 East Sutton Labour Reserves 3.

Sunday Premier Division: Rose and Crown 6 East Sutton Labour 3.

Division One: Brown Edge 4 Athletico Nelson 0, Penlake 6 Sutton Heath Panthers 1. FIXTURES

Tomorrow (Friday)

Rainford Potteries Cup final: Billinge Reserves v Child Reserves at Ruskin Drive, kick off 6.15pm.

Saturday

Northern Cup: Chestnut Lodge v MRG (Landscapes).

Division One: Sidac Social v College Street

Division Two: Earlestown (Griffin) v Pilkington A, Agrevo v Nutgrove.

Division Three: Rainford North End Reserves v East Sutton Labour Reserves, Prescot BICC A v Red Star (Rainford).

Sunday

Premier Division: East Sutton Labour v Ex Services Rainhill, Rose and Crown v Oddfellows, Owens Corning Ravenhead v Toll Bar.

Division One: Hammer v B Celtic, Racing Rovers v Athletico Nelson, Sutton Heath Panthers v Victoria (Rainhill), Penlake v Brownedge.

Monday May 3

D H Griffiths Cup Final: Rifle v The Anchor at Prescot Cables kick off 11.15am.

Tuesday May 4

Division One: Sidac Social v Child Reserves.

Division Two: West Bank v Agrevo.

Thursday May 6

St Helens Star Premier Division: Rifle v The Anchor,

Division One: Chestnut Lodge v Sidac Social, Child Reserves v Carborundum.

Friday May 7

Tom Worrall Cup Final: Eccleston United v Red Star (Rainford) at Prescot Cables kick off 7pm.

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