Wallasey beat Ormskirk on their own turf, and at their own game, on the opening day of the Love Lane Liverpool Competition Premier Division season.
All eyes were on the hosts’ pair of left-arm spinners - Lancashire’s Tom Hartley, playing his first Comp game since 2019, and Afghan pro Zahir Shehzad, playing his first ever.
But it was their counterparts, Sumit Ruikar and Andy Beaver, who carried the day for the visitors, having a hand in all 10 wickets to earn a 46-run win.
Indian Ruikar finished with 5/56 - his 15th league five-for, in only his 30th game - and stopped the top order in their tracks after Rob Rankin’s powerful hitting had threatened to make short work of their chase of 184.
The two batters most likely to go long, George Lavelle and captain Gary Knight, were both drawn forward and undone by Ruikar’s masterful control of flight and length.
But it was Beaver (one of three brothers in the Wallasey XI, up against three Ormskirk Rankins) who made the decisive contribution, running through the lower order and having Rankin well held for 59 on the square leg boundary by a tumbling Jamie Crawley.
That was part of a collapse of four wickets for two runs which left the hosts foundering - Beaver finished with 4/14, and combined with Ruikar for the other wicket, a run-out.
Wallasey’s innings had turned on a stand of 57 for the sixth wicket between the cautious Chris Davies and the aggressive Andrew Ward.
It rescued them from 89/5, a perilous position with Hartley finding his range; Ward in particular took a shine to Shehzad, who was held back until the 41st over and struggled for length at first.
Ward took one risk too many to give Shehzad the first of his three wickets, before Davies was stumped by Lavelle to give Hartley one of his four.
Winning captain Greg Beaver said: “We got ourselves in a bit of trouble with the bat, but CD and Wardy were tremendous.
“They dug us out of a hole. We were pretty confident with 183 on the board, because we’ve got the bowling to compete in any game.”
Bowlers at two Premier Division grounds must have been wishing it were still winter as 1,064 runs were scored for the loss of just 11 wickets, and last season’s highest successful run chase was overhauled twice.
At Rainhill, Southport & Birkdale’s JJ Fielding scored 135 and Jonny Whitehead 111 on club debut in an unbroken stand of 243 - a division record for the second wicket. It earned their side a nine-wicket win after home skipper Ben Edmundson scored an unbeaten 100 and Tyler McGladdery 82 to set an imposing 249/5.
And at Formby, Orrell Red Triangle went even bigger - racking up 282/3 thanks to Andy Baybutt’s 137 and Mark Waddington’s 51, in an unbroken partnership of 168 - and still lost. The hosts’ stand-in skipper Will Porterfield finished unbeaten on 110, seeing his side to an eight-wicket win thanks to stands of 149 with Ollie Sutton (80) and 102 with Ian Cockbain (60).
Gloucestershire’s Cockbain - son of the Competition legend of the same name, and recent star of the Blast, the Hundred and the BBL - has joined Formby as a short-term signing, as if bowlers didn’t already have it hard enough.
Champions Northern got off to a winning start, chasing 154 for a five-wicket win at Leigh. Seamers Liam Grey and Quincy Titterton reduced the hosts to 5/3, from which a slight recovery was never going to be enough - Andrew Clarke’s unbeaten 66 finished the job, after left-arm spinners Tom Sephton and Danny Wilson shared five wickets.
The two promoted sides met at Birkenhead Park, and visitors Newton-le-Willows came out on top with a five-wicket win. Lancashire’s Jack Morley took 6/65 to restrict the hosts to 215 - Ste Hird’s 59 rescued them from 122/7 - before Ben Walkden showed his class with an unbeaten 94, alongside 52 from Alex Lyon.
New Brighton’s trip to Wigan ended in a draw, with the visitors 20 runs from victory and three wickets from defeat. Charles Taylor and Aaron Redmond each scored half-centuries in the hosts’ 231/6 - Dan Cooke and Matthew Thompson did likewise for the visitors before the spoils were shared.
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Promoted Caldy got off to a flying start to life in Division One with a seven-wicket win over a Firwood Bootle side that was barely recognisable after last year’s relegation.
England’s learning disability captain Chris Edwards hit 63, and Haroon Khan an unbeaten 61 from 35 balls, to make short work of their chase of 177.
Only two Bootle players from the last game of 2021 took the field at Wadham Road on Saturday.
The other relegated side, Sefton Park, fared rather better - Jimmy Dixon took 7/24 to roll Highfield for just 63, setting up a seven-wicket win.
Liverpool never got going against Lytham, stumbling to 95 after six batters made it to the teens but none to 20. The visitors wrapped up a six-wicket win without many alarms.
Rainford’s Jason Login hit an unbeaten 62 to earn his side a five-wicket win over Ainsdale; earlier, the visitors’ Muhammad Irfan had finished on 97* as captain John Dotters ran through the tail to claim 5/45 and restrict the target to 210.
Spring View had a tough start to life in the second tier, being bowled out for 91 by Colwyn Bay. Will Evans’ unbeaten 60 wrapped up an eight-wicket win.
Fleetwood Hesketh ran out of time in pursuit of Northop Hall’s 233 - captain Matt Howard scored 100, but they had to close seven down, just 10 short of victory. Evan Withe with 87 and home skipper Will Higginson with 61* had starred for the Welsh side.
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Maghull got their Division Two challenge under way with a comprehensive 137-run win at Prestatyn. Jonathan Ring’s 95 and Liam Crilly’s 50 underpinned their total of 210 - in the end, the pair’s opening stand of 139 would have been enough, as South African seamer Munowar Samsodien announced himself with 5/27.
Old Xaverians chased 141 for a seven-wicket win at Alder, with Josh Dilworth’s 68 the highest contribution; earlier, Lewis Barnes had taken 5/29 as Ross Hannath opened his account for his new club with 77.
Sharen Rajendran finished with stunning figures of 7/6 as St Helens Town made short work of Wavertree; the visitors fell for 79, and the hosts earned an eight-wicket win.
Sutton’s 183, with 77 for captain Joe Noctor, was too much for Norley Hall, who fell short by 78 runs.
And Parkfield Liscard’s 137 was overhauled by Hightown St Mary’s with seven wickets to spare.
