A bazaar was promoted to raise funds necessary to defray the cost of the new pavilion. Lord Derby opened the Sale of Work on December 30th 1904, the enterprise being well supported, with satisfactory results.

It was from the adversity of 1902 that the Club rose three years later to become League Champions, the first of two such successes in their 30-year membership of the senior section of the Bolton & District Cricket Association.

Towards the end of July 1905, Bradshaw played away at Egerton, as Harry Howarth "an old Egerton Stalwart" recalled in a Buff interview 12 years later.

"It was during the time Finney was professional at Egerton, and Wimpenny at Bradshaw, Egerton had scored 101 and Bradshaw was perilously near this score with nine wickets down. George Scott made a great drive that would have given Bradshaw victory had not the ball stuck in some cow dung on the edge of the boundary. Then Finney bowled Scott's partner".

Verification is in the match report:
"P. Roscoe led off Bradshaw's reply with a patient 35, receiving admirable assistance from Wimpenny and Joe Derbyshire, but the remaining wickets fell cheaply, and when the last pair were at the wickets, there were still two runs required to win. These were not secured, and Egerton won by 101 to 100".

This result left the league table registering Eagley and Westhoughton as leaders with 21 points each, and Bradshaw and Halliwell sharing second place on 20 points, so what had no doubt brought great relief to the cow had cost Bradshaw dearly...... Still it's an ill wind.

The following Saturday, Westhoughton were victors in their match, and Bradshaw were taking no time at all to win at Great Lever (Joe Derbyshire 4 for 12, Wimpenny 6 for 19) whilst both Eagley and Halliwell lost. Now Westhoughton were sole leaders with Bradshaw on their own a point behind.

The scene was now set for the last league encounter of the season, none other than Tonge at home. The committee no doubt regretting their decision to "pool both gates". Could there be a more gratifying championship victory? Unfortunately celebrations had to be withheld, for Tonge, not entering into the spirit of the occasion, won comfortably.

It is interesting to speculate when and how the news of Westhoughton's defeat at Lostock arrived at Bradshaw that day. Would the players have left the ground, or would they have awaited the news after the match, fearing the worst? Would there have been some progress report so that they knew in fact that Lostock, batting first, had scored 174, F. Woolley 113 not out? That would have indeed eased the tension. Or is it more likely they would have just sweated it out? The Football and Cricket Field, predecessor of the Buff, had in most cases the whole of the Senior League matches covered with full batting and bowling performances of both sides included, where matches had finished early. So it seems unlikely they would have been printed in time to be on sale at the ground. But whenever the glad tidings arrived, the championship must have been very sweet to Bradshaw Cricket Club, still really only in its infancy.

Only John Derbyshire must have had mixed feelings, for whilst F. Woolley's 113 not out had undoubtedly won the championship for Bradshaw, it robbed John of the League batting prize, Woolley's average going from 16.1 to 27.4. John Derbyshire had gone into the match with an average of 28.7. Joe his brother won the League bowling prize with 59 wickets at an average cost of 6.22.

The Cross Cup Final was played each season between the League champions and runners-up. This rule had been in force since the League's inception, and surprisingly was allowed to continue until 1921. Bradshaw had to await the play-off between Westhoughton and Eagley before contesting their first cup-final.

On Saturday, 26th August 1905, the Cricket and Football Field gave the results of the season's matches for the final's sides, and teams were printed with the birthplaces of each player added. Bradshaw's team read:

George Scott (Eagley), John Derbyshire (Bradshaw), Joe Derbyshire (Bradshaw), Peter Roscoe (Bradshaw), William Roscoe (Bradshaw), John T. Scowcroft (Harwood), Edward Entwistle (Bradshaw), Richard Entwistle (Queensland), George Kay (Carbrook, Cheshire), Thomas Crossley (Bradshaw), and Wimpenny (Henley). Of the Eagley XI, seven were born in Eagley, two in Dunscar and one in Bradshaw, with Thewlis from Lacelles Hall, Yorkshire.