TEST batsmen the world over will be breathing a sigh of relief if Courtney Walsh has indeed finally hung up his boots.

After taking three second-innings wickets in the West Indies' win over South Africa at the start of the week, Walsh extended his world-record haul to 519 Test victims.

The 38-year-old, whose international career started way back in 1984, now plans to put his big feet up, play a bit of golf and spend some time with his family.

There's talk of wheeling 'Cuddy' out again in a crisis but hopefully that won't happen and the fast-bowling legend will bow out at the top.

A first Test win since beating England at Edgbaston last summer is a fitting epitaph for the big Jamaican, whose Test wicket tally may never be beaten.

According to Colin Croft, another of the formidable pacement that helped the Windies rule the world, Walsh has run over 300 miles for the cause in making his way to the wicket in his trademark languid, open-chested way.

He enjoyed the great times but then never ducked the bad ones as the Calypso Kings slipped form their pedestal to be beaten by all and sundry around the world in recent times.

Walsh, also a great servant for Gloucestershire and formerly Tynedale in my neck of the woods up north, has just finished his final series as the leading wicket-taker.

Tiger Woods' recent Grand Slam triumph re-opened the debate about the greatest sportsman of all time. Team sport players were exluded from most pundits' lists, otherwise Walsh would surely have been up among the challengers for the mythical title.

STILL on the subject of Cricket, it appears that Darwen Cricket Club chairman Peter Lamster and myself are again at loggerheads.

Last summer I inadvertently belittled the Northern League and I now stand accused of again ignoring the efforts of our local clubs in one of the county's two Premier Leagues.

Apologies for that that and I assure Peter, a loyal supporter of Darwen and this newspaper, that in last week's 'Twist' I was not deliberately urging readers to support the Lancashire League at the expense of his club or those in the Ribblesdale League (who are also very accommodating).

The fact remains that the Lancashire League is the most senior league we cover in its entirety because all the clubs fall in the LET's catchment area.

However, I have to admit it was an oversight in not mentioning the start of the Ribblesdale League and the Northern League in the same article.

I put it down to exhaustion after a long season following the Clarets and I know that Peter is also feeling the tension as a die-hard Rovers fan.

However, to help heal the rift I would be grateful if you could all please pack out Birch Hall on Saturday week when Fleetwood are the visitors -- especially as Burnley and Rovers play the day after.

ROCHDALE face a play-off six-pointer at stuttering Blackpool tomorrow night as they continue to wade through a back-log of fixtures created by Spotland's all-too-frequent resemblance to a swimming pool.

Having beaten Lincoln City on Monday night the Dale are in pole position to sneak into the final play-off place currently occupied by Scunthorpe.

However, the omens aren't good after Scunthorpe's representative held off Rochdale's runner (LET sports hack Dany Robson) over the streets of the capital in the London Marathon's football club challenge.

Dany assures us , however, that the Scunthorpe man was tieing up and Dale will pip them at the post in the real thing.

FORGET the column inches from the nation's football scribes dedicated to the atrocity of Roy Keane's 'tackle' on Alfie Haaland.

You know Keane was definitely over the top when Trevor (it took a bad bobble) Brooking was moved to admit: "It was as bad as I've seen in a long time."