There is a real lack of information for the remaining years of the eighties; just one match on june 29th 1889: an XI of Manchester 23, Bradshaw 26 for 2 (W. Smith 10). Also that season a new name appeared, that of Bradshaw Victoria, who defeated Longsight by 64 runs to 19. This is an interesting result, for Andrew Kay, who was a member of Bradshaw Cricket Club in these formative years, states in an article reproduced later, that he first joined a junior side known as Bradshaw Victoria around 1886, "but the team existed for only three months". Yet here is a printed result for a Bradshaw Victoria fixture three years later. Particular mention is made of this because of an anonymous, but well-informed, typewritten account entitled "Bradshaw Cricket Tennis & Bowling Club. A brief History", written probably in the second-world-war years, the first line of which reads: "The club was formed in 1884 and assumed the title of Bradshaw Victoria Cricket Club". If this was in fact the case it seems strange that no mention can be found of the team in the first five years of its life. It could indeed be that it was the junior team of Bradshaw Victoria that enjoyed only a brief existence, and that this was the side Andrew Kay joined.

Lending support to this theory is a B.E.N. tribute to Andrew Kay on his death, in which mention is made of two very narrow playing strips in a field running along Bradshaw Road, one for the younger players known as the Top Cottage, and one for the older players known as the Bottom Cottage, (inadvertently referred to as Bolton Cottage, in the authorless "Brief History"). These were in fact grounds on which the present Bradshaw Cricket Club played in its early days. The cottages would be the ones that stood outside the entrance to Bradshaw Works. The B.E.N. quote Andrew Kay: "The field slanted so much that a leg ball could be hit right down the steep incline to almost opposite Bradshaw Works entrance". To view this land now and try to visualise a cricket match being played stretches the imagination to the limit.

In 1890 the Bolton and District Cricket Association had formed a first division of eight clubs, Astley Bridge, Eagley, Egerton, Halliwell, Horwich, Horwich L & Y, Farnworth and Tonge, who were to become the first champions.

Then in 1892 in addition to a first division, even in so short a time much changed in membership, a Junior section league competition had been formed. In 1893 the Junior Section comprised 36 clubs in six Sections A to F.

During the first of these two seasons Bolton Evening News, under the heading 'Ordinary Matches', shows Bradshaw defeated Claremont at Castle Hill by 81 (W. Greenhalgh 39) to 42 on May 21st, and one week later lost against St. Luke's Albion 38-33. Bradshaw Choir were also twice featured in this category.

Finally in 1893, on the same May day that Bradshaw Choir were skittling Astley Bridge for 11, Bradshaw's match finished: Castle Hill 59 for 5, Bradshaw 42. This was followed by a victory over Rose Hill by 41 to 70 (J. J. Whittle 20, N. Thornley 10) and on June 23rd, whilst scoring 91 for 8 (Whittle 15, Kay 14, Hargreaves 10) against unnamed opponents, the club was sufficiently strong to field a reserve side which proved too good for Halliwell Road Albion, scoring 84 (Derbyshire - a famous name of the future - 38, Entwistle 16), a fourth match ended Bradshaw 69 (T. Smith 17, W. H. Hargreaves 10), Trinity Wesleyans 63.

Even then when four Bradshaw C.C. match results were printed, Bradshaw Choir still managed six, and also included was a Bradshaw Albion game. In passing, Bradshaw Choir had the massive assistance of a bowler named Bennett who had reported figures of: 5 for 1, 9 for 9, 5 for 2, and 7 for 5. A clear case of divine intervention.