Clinically cold in searing heat

Although the accompanying scorecard faithfully reflects the margin of Southport and Birkdale’s superiority over Ainsdale in last Saturday’s match at Liverpool Road, it cannot tell the story of the day.

For that, you would have had to watch the game and feel the heat settle on the ground like a force field. Throughout the afternoon, it beat down on the parched grass and most spectators sought the shelter of trees or umbrellas. The players had no such protection and drinks breaks were taken almost every hour. Breezes would have been applauded had anyone possessed the energy to clap anything.

It was the sort of day when you want to bat first – and second. So there was probably relief in the Ainsdale dressing room when Olly Green won the toss and made his easiest decision of the match.

That, though, was where it seemed the good news was going to end for the home team.

Without ever bowling at their best, S&B reduced Ainsdale to 94 for seven, Bobby Wincer taking three of the wickets and Mo Kashif two. Both bowlers made good use of a dry pitch offering plenty of bounce, although neither tied the batsmen down for long.

If the ball escaped the infield, there was rarely any point chasing it. Far better to fetch it from the boundary or let a spectator throw it back. Andy Barlow made 25 before he was leg-before to Kashif and Green had hit six fours in his 29 when he was fifth out, caught behind by Dean Skelton off Wincer.

Ten minutes later, S&B’s players might have thought an early finish and a pint or two of cold lager was beckoning them home. But Kyle Marshall and Zahir Shehzad had other plans for the visitors.

Ainsdale’s eighth-wicket pair played their side’s best cricket of the day and had put on 69 when Shehzad drilled one back at Kashif. 

Four runs later, the off-spinner had bagged another five-wicket haul and the home side were all out for 167. It seemed a testing target but it proved to be nothing of the sort. Ronnie Roy pillaged 60 off 54 balls and put on 97 with Kiran Naidoo, who contributed 46 off 42.

The dismissals of the openers made no difference to the direction of the contest. Monty Horridge and David Snellgrove completed the facile victory with an unbroken stand of 39 for the fourth wicket, Snellgrove making 26 not out off 20 balls and pulling two sixes to hasten the end of what had become a one-sided contest. 

S&B’s second team continued their fine run of form on Saturday when they defeated Ainsdale by 113 runs at Merchant Taylors’ School. Sam Ayres (87) and Fraser Hill (81) did the heavy lifting in their side’s 230 for five declared by putting on 170 for the second wicket before Ravi Soni and Peter Crew shared six wickets in the visitors’ 117 all out. However, Tom Wainwright’s side still trail Liverpool at the top of the First Division.

On Sunday, the third team had to settle for a draw in a high-scoring match at Sefton Park. Rajiv Bardwaj made 102 not out in the home side’s 251 for four declared but Dave Aston compiled a rather more sedate 66 as the visitors finished on 171 for eight, Will Saunders taking six for 24.

Scorecards

1st Team vs Ainsdale CC, 1st XI

2nd Team vs Ainsdale CC, 2nd XI

3rd Team vs Sefton Park CC, Sunday XI AW