Here’s a peek behind the curtain: No captain has ever replied “no, not really”, to the pre-season prompt “I bet you’re excited to get back out there”.
Sometimes there’s a wry remark about the weather, one way or the other; sometimes, depending on how long they’ve been doing these interviews, there’s a bold, assertive follow-up about playing positive cricket and winning the key battles.
But when Paul McKenna says he can’t wait, rest assured: He REALLY means it.
Last August, the Maghull skipper was on holiday with his wife and kids in Cancun when he suffered a stroke.
Aged just 33, he spent days in an induced coma in a Mexican hospital.
His insurance didn’t pay up, but Merseyside’s cricket family stepped in and helped raise more than £40,000 for a crowdfunder to help bring ‘Mash’ home.
Clubs across the region donated match fees and teammates climbed literal mountains to help out.
Now he’s home, safe and well - well enough to captain the 1st XI again, something which seemed an unlikely irrelevance just a few short months ago.
McKenna said: “I came out of the coma, then I had to wait another month in Mexico before I could fly again.
“Once I got home, I had another CAT scan… and I realised I’d got really lucky and there were no long-lasting effects.
“I didn’t train until January, but I’ve built a lot of strength up over the eight weeks that we’ve netted.
“I haven’t kept wicket since last year, so I’m not sure how I’ll actually go - but I’ll have to cross that bridge when I come to it.
“I can’t wait for the 15th - I’m really looking forward to getting back into the swing of things.”
McKenna’s gratitude to his teammates and the wider cricket community is clear.
At the same time, he insists that what happened should not be used to draw attention or make excuses.
But on the pitch, the impact of his plight was clear to see - Maghull slipped from promotion favourites to an agonising third-place finish in Division Two.
A winless run of five games coincided with their friend’s darkest days and ended with them finishing just 10 points shy of Old Xaverians.
“Obviously, the cricket went on the back burner for two or three weeks,” McKenna added.
“We were still in the promotion hunt… but they were having to fundraise to pay my medical bills.
“So that was at the forefront of their minds.
“They were playing Hundred games on a Friday, playing in the league on a Saturday, then climbing up mountains on a Sunday.
“At the end of the day, we’re amateur cricketers.
“Some of the lads are my best mates and they have been for years - so obviously they’re more concerned about my health than Wavertree away.”
Happily, McKenna “got away with it big time” (his words) and will lead his side out at Parkfield Liscard with another promotion push in mind.
Jon Ring and Liam Crilly scored more than 1,300 runs between them last year, and the top order will be boosted by the arrival of Sri Lankan pro Madhawa Fernando.
Left-arm spinner Greg Coogan joins from Alder to bolster the attack, which was led last year by South African import Munowar Samsodien.
McKenna said: “We’ve took it down to the last day for the past two years, and maybe just a bit of experience to get us over the line at the end is all we’re missing.
“I think we have one of the best sides in the league - but come crunch time, we need to show it.”
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Southport Trinity’s bid to escape Division Two is still being hampered by a devastating fire at their clubhouse five years ago.
Trinity are tenants at their Rookery home, so the state of the facilities is out of their hands.
And the fact the clubhouse hasn’t been fixed can be off-putting for potential players, according to chairman Steve Bennet.
Nonetheless, he insists Trinity are ready for another promotion push, after three successive fourth-place finishes.
Bennet said: “In terms of attracting somebody who's at another club, what are you offering them?
“It’s cricket in the lowest division, and we don't have outdoor nets.
“All those sorts of things make it difficult. Improving facilities would make the place a little bit more attractive.
“It’s not just at senior level. We've got quite a decent junior setup. And you would like to think under normal circumstances, all those parents who are coming along with kids will be joining the club and becoming social members.
“But they haven't, because what are they joining? It’s an outdoor facility for their kids to get a bit of cricket.”
The facilities are better this year than last, with visiting sides having a proper changing room.
And the club has managed to secure the services of last year’s key man, all-rounder Salman Ahmed.
After 1,079 runs in the league last year - Trinity’s next highest scorer was Jonny Hine with 363 - and 31 wickets, captain Mark Prince will be hoping for more of the same from Salman.
And Bennet reckons there are some senior players who could do more to support him this time around.
“The two big ones for me are Bobby Eyes and Wim Van Der Walt,” he said.
“If they were honest with themselves, they underperformed last year.
“If they could pick up their game and score a little bit more than they did last year, then that enhances what we've got within the same group of people.”
With Jake Sunderland back at the club to bolster the attack, Bennet sees no reason why Trinity can’t be in the promotion conversation again.
He added: “Hopefully things click and it all comes together.
“But it's always about consistency - of performance, and of availability.
“Everyone at this stage of the season has a chance. If you look at our performances over the last few years, we've got to be saying we're going to be in the top three, top four come the end of the season.
“We just need to do that little bit extra to get into the top two.”
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New Alder captain Ross Kirkpatrick admits there was doubt as to whether his club would be able to start the 2023 season.
Club officials were considering dropping out of the Love Lane Liverpool Competition rather than fielding uncompetitive sides, following the departure of last season’s skipper Josh Abley for Wavertree and spinner Greg Coogan for Maghull.
But after a huge effort to raise funds and recruit players, Kirkpatrick now feels like his side can improve on 2022’s five wins in Division Two.
He said: “It was all hands to the pump.
“We've had to raise a lot of money in the last four months just to make sure we can keep going, which we've managed to do.
“And we’ve probably improved the 1st team squad by about four players, which is what we needed.
“I haven’t got a crystal ball, but I’d like to think we can do a little bit better.
“I think over the course of the season, we'll be more competitive and hopefully win a couple more matches than we did last year.”
Crucially, Kirkpatrick was able to retain the services of Greg Harvey, who topped the run charts last year and came second to Coogan in the wickets.
He’s been in Australia for the winter, working on his left-arm spin.
But the skipper knows a lot will fall on the shoulders of young players like seamer Danny Johnson, who’s been leading the line for the 1st XI since the age of 17.
“The main thing is being competitive,” added Kirkpatrick.
“Our priority is to stay in the division - anything else is a bonus.”
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Fleetwood Hesketh are hoping they can put last year’s frustration behind them and bounce straight back from relegation.
Matty Howard’s side looked doomed before they won their last three Division One games, eventually finishing just three points shy of third-bottom Caldy.
Now Howard wants to take the momentum from the season’s end into this year’s Division Two campaign.
He said: “Hopefully, we can kind of carry on from where we left off last year.
“It might be a bit of the change in mentality that the club need - instead of going into a season where we're trying to scrape around for six or seven wins, to go into a season wanting to be able to push for 13 or 14 wins and being at the top end of the table.
“We definitely want to go straight back up - that’s the aim for the season.”
Leading the charge with the ball will be Texan Saad Humayun, whose left-arm spin took 37 Premier Division wickets for Formby in 2021.
“It’s a big plus that he's done it at Prem level,” said Howard.
“He was their leading wicket taker in 2021 and took almost 40 wickets … hopefully with slightly worse pitches and a bit of a lower standard and Division Two will work out quite well.”
The skipper is also looking forward to seeing how 18-year-old Taylor Campbell goes after a strong showing in winter nets, following a promising start to life in the 1st XI.
It’s the first time Hesketh have been in the third tier since 2011.
And given they’ve lost at least one cup game to a Division Two side in each of the last six proper seasons, they won’t be taking anything for granted.
Howard added: “I’m not going into it thinking we’ll absolutely walk it or anything.
“But I do think we've got a strong enough team to be at the top end of the table.”
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They’re the Love Lane Liverpool Competition’s newest members - but Irby skipper Tom Crawford insists his side aren’t just there to make up the numbers.
The Wirral’s sixth Comp side were approved as members last year, and Crawford can’t wait to get started.
The change from the Cheshire Cricket League’s 45-over win-loss format is one the captain is looking forward to - along with an end to energy-sapping trips to the far side of Cheshire.
First up is a trip to Prestatyn, showing fixture computers do have a sense of humour… but after that, things should settle down.
Crawford said: “I think from the division that we were in, it probably will be a bit of a step up for us. We're certainly expecting that.
“But I think with any league, if you get those three or four key players right, you're right in the game.
“I think we can definitely be competitive in this league.
“I’d be disappointed to finish in the bottom half, to be honest - we can certainly settle ourselves into mid-table and see how we develop from there.”
Helping Irby along the way will be their overseas player, Indian off-spinning all-rounder Smit Mehta. Cam Burns challenged the top of the run charts last year despite missing half the season through work - he’ll be available more this summer.
And two left-armers - seamer James Geen and spinner Rob Mallon - will be back in contention after injury and absence respectively.
Wirral is a crowded market. As well as the six Comp clubs, there’s Maritime, Neston, Oxton, Port Sunlight and Upton in the Cheshire County league, Old Parkonians and Wirral CC in the Cheshire Cricket league, and Birkenhead St Marys in the Southport league.
Crawford accepts it can be hard to accept players - which is another reason the club wanted to move to the more prestigious league.
He added: “We were kind of stuck where we were. We do see the Comp as a bit more competitive and a way for us to jump-start what we have.
“The hope is we can settle into this division within a couple of years, then really push to go up into Division One.
“The better we do, the more of those top players we can attract, because it is very difficult.
“Just a few years ago, we had to drop our 4th XI - now we have over 50 senior members and a really promising crop of junior players.
“It's just about getting more top-end talent and we know if we can become competitive in Division Two, hopefully that can help us get more players.”
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Wavertree skipper Chris Heath is going for quantity as well as quality as he strives to improve on last year’s ninth place in Love Lane Liverpool Competition Division Two.
Availability problems hampered last year’s league campaign, so Heath is determined to not leave anything to chance this year.
There is a good omen however - the last time Wavertree finished in the lower reaches of the division, 10th in 2016, they gained promotion the following year.
“Third from bottom is not something we’re accustomed to,” said Heath.
“It was our inconsistency really.
“There were glimpses of performances but they didn’t last for the season and ultimately that was what cost us.
“Particularly with the bat, we struggled to post scores over 150, 160 on a regular basis.”
Three players made centuries for Wavertree in the league last season, but no-one topped Heath’s return of 371 runs.
So to bolster the batting order, they’ve recruited former Alder skipper Josh Abley and Ryan Kiffin from Aigburth in the Southport league.
Saeed Ullah, a Pakistani student all-rounder who has impressed in the nets, will be this year’s overseas player, while opening bowler Adam Gibson brings some top-flight experience from Dalton in Cumbria.
Heath said: “Last year, we were crippled by availability. That was something we’ve looked to address.
“If we played our strongest XI last year, we were a strong, competitive team.
“But I don't think I picked the same 10, let alone the same 11 players from one week to the next.
“When it came to playing against the sides at the top of the table, we struggled to be competitive.
“The next step is about competing against the top teams, which I think we can do this year.”
One bright spot from 2022 was the emergence of Callum Jacob, player of the year at just 16 in his first season at 1st XI level.
His slow left-armers took 12 wickets at less than 15 each, while his unbeaten 56 against Hightown St Marys will live long in the memory.
Heath said: “Callum has very quickly become one of our key players.
“I think what he needs in order to improve is consistency, because he showed the ability that he has.
“He’s going to be a seriously good player in the future.”
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Hightown St Mary’s skipper Leo McCarthy believes a bit more consistency could see his side challenging for promotion from Division Two of the Love Lane Liverpool Competition.
McCarthy’s men finished seventh last year after problems with availability during the holiday season.
But he hopes more players will be able to make the step up from 2nd XI level to fill in the gaps.
He said: “We’ve got a pretty lean 1st XI and that’s been our problem in the past. So hopefully that gets better this year.
“I think the quality is there, but it’s a bit more about application and consistency.
“We've spent the last couple of years laying some really solid foundations that perhaps we didn't have in the past in terms of infrastructure.
“The big investment we’ve made in outdoor nets should make things a lot easier.
“And there’s been a better structure in our junior section over the past few years, which is starting to come to fruition.
“So now we've got those foundations in place, I think we’re starting to expect a bit more of ourselves on the field.”
Jackson Cockbain, son of the late Comp legend Ian, should provide some stability in the middle order, while McCarthy was delighted to retain the services of all-rounders Matty White and Matty Laybourne.
All-rounder Sachin Sharma and 6’7” seamer Sam Parks return to the club after a break, and Pakistani first-class batter Sharoon Siraj arrives as overseas pro.
The skipper is also excited about the prospect of young batter Dylan Riley getting some more games under his belt, adding: “He made his breakthrough last year and showed some real quality, so it’ll be cool to see where he can pick up from now he’s a year older.”
Climbing from seventh to second may seem daunting, but McCarthy is aiming high.
“Last year, there were no real runaways at any point,” he added.
“We beat some really strong teams last year, so we think promotion certainly isn't out of the question. And that's what we'll be aiming for.”
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Parkfield Liscard have started from scratch after a desperate 2022 campaign.
And new skipper Neil Hughes is confident this year will be better.
They can’t really get much worse. A record of 19 defeats - one of them by concession - and no wins from 20 league games saw Parkfield finish well adrift at the bottom.
Had the winners of the Southport league been able to gain admission to the Comp, they’d have been comfortably relegated. As it was, Merseyside Commonwealth Conference’s lack of a home ground meant they stayed put.
But Hughes knows they can’t rely on fate intervening again.
“The mindset is - absolutely no repeat of last year,” he said.
“I’ve said to the players: You go out and express yourselves, work hard, do the basics well and we’ll do well.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that whatever happens this season, it will be better than last year.
“One win would be better than last year, because last year was so shambolic.
“But these guys know why they’re here. They want to challenge themselves.
“And they want to show they can bring match-winning performances to the side.”
The club has been restructured from the ground up, with a new cricket committee formed to ensure a consistent approach.
Leading a large contingent of recruits is South African all-rounder Muhammad Ahsan Khan.
Hughes said: “He’s raring to go, he’s full of confidence and he’s up for this challenge.
“He knows how prestigious the Comp is and he’s really looking to make a name for himself.
“He’s here for the right reasons and the skillset he brings will really balance the side out.”
The skipper isn’t making predictions about league positions - but there’s one thing he can promise.
“There's one thing that I've always asked - the least I'd expect is hard work,” he said.
“If you can come off that pitch and say I’ve given it a go today but the other guy did better and you shake his hand… you’ve got nothing to be worried about.”
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Norley Hall skipper Chris McLoughlin feels his side underachieved last season - and he’s got a plan for how to improve.
The Wigan side finished sixth in Division Two of the Love Lane Liverpool Competition, up from 11th and last the previous year, but didn’t string a run of more than two wins together all season.
McLoughlin, beginning his second spell as captain having led the side in the Southport & District league, knows he needs to tackle that inconsistency.
He said: “I’m confident this season, to be honest.
“We had a massive improvement from last season, but I still felt we slightly underachieved and lost a lot of close games.
“I think we were a bowler short, if anything.”
Thunder and Manchester Originals seamer Laura Jackson has left for Rainford, but McLoughlin is confident his new signings will make up the shortfall.
Denuwan Rajakaruna, a top order batter and occasional spinner who played age group cricket for Sri Lanka, arrives as overseas pro.
And Ryan Housley, signed from Leigh, will bolster the batting and provide an off-spin option with the ball.
McLoughlin knows what gets results in the Comp, adding: “Not many seamers got more than 35 wickets in the Comp - so I think spin is the way to go forward.”
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Northop Hall are targeting an instant return to Division One - with one of the Love Lane Liverpool Competition’s youngest ever captains at the helm.
Carwyn Johnson, 21, takes over from Will Higginson, who has left to help Welsh rivals Colwyn Bay’s Premier Division campaign.
He may be young, but he reckons his team has what it takes to escape Division Two after last year’s relegation.
Johnson said: “I’m looking forward to the challenge.
“There’s not many captains my age, but I’m looking forward to proving to myself I can do it.
“I’ve played in Division Two before, though I was young at the time - there's a lot of lads in the position now that I was back then.
“It's a real learning curve for them. It will push them on as players.
“They’ll get challenged, but they'll also get the opportunity, which is really important.
“We've got a lot of good young lads coming through who can now be exposed to that 1st XI level, which is a really good thing.”
Alex Smith, into his third decade as a Hall player, will provide some much-needed experience; Mike Williamson from Pontblyddyn and Gareth Fox from Halkyn will also bolster Johnson’s top order.
And the skipper has gone for an overseas pro even younger than he is - 19-year-old Ankur Malik, from Sikkim, north east India, who has a first-class century to his name and bowls leg-spin.
Johnson is also excited to see more of Matteo Evans-Ford, who’s been picked for age-group representative sides.
“We’ve got a lot of promising young players coming through,” added Johnson. “It’s just a question of exposing them to a level they haven’t been exposed to before.”
Hall last earned promotion from Division Two in 2018. While a repeat is the main aim for the season, the captain knows it’s not the be-all and end-all.
He added: “The main thing we've been focusing on is building a really good team environment. I feel like that's the most important thing going forward from this year.
“But we are looking to bounce straight back into Division One - we want to play that standard of cricket, and we believe we’re good enough.”
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Sutton skipper Joe Noctor hopes his side’s experience of a promotion push will inspire them to more of the same this summer.
The St Helens side finished fifth in Division Two of the Love Lane Liverpool Competition, 44 points shy of a promotion place.
Noctor knows it’s the sort of gap that can be bridged by winning two or three crucial moments - and he’s backing his side to do just that in 2023.
Noctor said: “We had a good year last year and it’s given us a great platform to build on this year.
“So we’re really excited to get back out there and try to challenge.
“We were competitive in every game. We ended up losing seven games - if you turn two of those into wins, that puts us right amongst the top two.
“We have tried to go about things differently this year. And I think we're in a much better place going into the season than we were last year.
“Being so close has kind of given us a sniff of what we can achieve this year.”
Noctor is looking forward to seeing what opener Joe Smith can do - he described him as one of the best amateur batters in Division Two, adding: “Last year was his best year by a country mile, and I think he still has some way to go with both bat and ball.
“He’ll be really pivotal for us this year.”
And the skipper is hoping North West Thunder’s loss can be Sutton’s gain - the regional side released all-rounder Nat Brown at the end of 2022.
“Having her available most weeks last year was massive for us, and obviously we will have her available most weeks this year as well,” he said.
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Prestatyn’s players have got off to an early start this year as they look to improve on 2022’s eighth place in Division Two of the Love Lane Liverpool Competition.
Skipper Andy Taylor called his side into the nets while the fizz was still in the New Year Champagne, in a bid to address their inconsistency.
Being able to pick a more settled side should help. The Welsh side’s form fluctuated with the university calendar last year - just two wins before mid-July, then four more by the first weekend of September.
Taylor said: “We wanted to have a good start, but it was all dependent on if we could perform when we were missing some of our better players.
“But the positives for us from last year were that some of the younger players have really started to perform, whether it was in the 1st XI or the 2nd XI.
“We’re hoping they can kick on again this year and give us that push we need to climb higher.”
Leading run-scorer Sheil Sethi missed that start of last season due to being overseas - Taylor is expecting more of the same from him this time around.
Seamer Scott Williams returns to the fold after a few years out, joining an attack led by Sri Lankan all-rounder Sampath Perera.
Taylor added: “Sampath’s been a really consistent performer over the past couple of years.
“And I think it’s going to be a big year for Ben Hughes, who’s a young lad who’s been opening the bowling for us.
“We beat some of the better teams last year, so if we can be more consistent against the teams who were under us, then we can climb the table.”
