Thread by @TomEvansEcho

Early breakthrough for Bootle as S&B bat first… JJ Fielding was batting but is no longer, after Will Purser trimmed his bails. 4/1 after 4 overs.

Purser is bowling wicket to wicket, as he does, while Toby Lester from the other end is getting a decent amount of bounce. Tight start from the defending champions; Isaac Lea and Jack Carney at the crease for the hosts.

Lester gives Carney a bit of width and gets carved for two fours. Plenty of catchers waiting for the edge though.

More runs through the off side as Lester searches for the edge; this time Lea cashes in. 23/1 from 9 overs.

Change of tactics from Purser as Neil Williams comes up to the stumps and two catchers come in on the drive. Carney and Lea starting to settle; 40/1 from 12.

Shaneil Patel-Ponda replaces Lester with some left-arm spin. Carney pulls a short one for four. 45/1.

Carney clips Purser for a lovely four; the bouncy castle is open for business; some bloke in Leeds has nicked off for 50-odd. 50 partnership up for these two - 53/1.

Purser beginning the ninth over of his spell, after chasing the ball to long-off twice in quick succession. His trademark headband is being put to good use, as is Jack Carney’s bat. He’s on 35, the score 64/1.

Patel-Ponda turns one past Lea’s outside edge and bowls him for 26. Dinuka Dilshan the new man. 65/2, partnership worth 62 is over.

14-year-old Jaden Rose is on the field for Bootle; be interesting to see if he gets a bowl after doing very well in the MCC game.

Purser continues and Dilshan gets going with a tickle for four. 76/2 from 22 overs. Carney going very nicely on 40; seems a good day to bat.

Four through mid wicket and six over long on off Patel Ponda and Carney has 50. But then he goes for one shot too many and skews one in the air to be caught by Will Hale at cover. Good knock, could have gone on longer. 86/3.

Adam Phillips is the new man. Dilshan punches Purser through extra cover. 90/3.

Phillips announces himself with a pull for a flat six off Patel Ponda, who then has a big LBW shout turned down. Scott Butterworth replaces Purser. Dilshan greets him with a push down the ground for four. 100 up for the hosts, three down.

Drinks, after Phillips tucks into another long hop from the spinner, who’s much more threatening when he tosses it up a bit. S&B will be the happier of the sides I reckon, 104/3 from 27 after losing the toss.

Starting to think the £10 I put on India last night was not the soundest of investments.

First ball after drinks, Butterworth pins Dilshan. 104/4, Basil Sultan to the crease.

S&B need a partnership from these two now, and they’re both aware of this. Butterworth steaming in from one end, buoyed by his wicket, Patel Ponda giving it some flight from the other. Big passage of play. 108/4 from 30.

Phillips aims a pull at Butterworth and loses his middle stump. 119/5. Not sure if he dragged it on or if it kept low.

Tom Baybutt, who has not played much first XI cricket, is rebuilding alongside Sultan. 127/5.

I’ve gone quiet because the game has, but it’s nicely poised. Sultan and Baybutt batting very patiently. 132/5 from 40.

Sultan likes using his feet against the spinner but is visibly restraining himself from doing so. Waits for one in the slot and lofts it over mid-on for four. A very pleasing batter to watch. 143/5 from 45.

… make that 143/6 as Butterworth’s straight line pays off, as Baybutt is bowled. Warm applause as Baybutt departs, he’s done a job for the side there. Chris Firth the new man.

Interesting to see how S&B play this. Plenty of stickability in the lower order so no need for Sultan to take too many risks just yet. Patel Ponda still twirling away.

Big moment as Butterworth plunges forward to cling on to a return catch to dismiss Sultan for a well-made 25. Innings teetering. 148/7.

Butterworth has now bowled 13 overs on the bounce, taking 4/23. More of an off stump line to new man Bobby Wincer. Runs very hard to come by. 150/7.

Now it’s five for Butterworth as he gets an LBW verdict to remove Wincer. 154/8. Angus Gailey to the crease.

Make that six - Firth has his timbers rattled. 157/9.

Chris Cunningham drives down the ground to secure his side’s third batting point; their ambitions would have been much loftier an hour or two ago.

After some #UsefulTailEndRuns, Gailey is bowled by Butterworth, who finishes with 7/36. Cracking effort. S&B all out for 172. Chasable, but also defendable. I’m not putting £10 on the outcome.

From 86/2, that’s a slightly disappointing total for S&B to post. Butterworth excellent and relentless. Question is whether the hosts’ spinners can tie the batters down and remain threatening in the way Patel Ponda never quite managed.

Encroaching on the field of play

Last time Bootle made triple figures in the league was July 17. They have been on a rotten run - I just about make them favourites here, but their recent form will be playing on their minds. Only the third time this year they’ve bowled a side out, as well. Here they come.

Dinuka Dilshan has the ball; Will Hale and Callum McGee a bat each. Chris Firth from the other end.

Couple of LBW shouts. Lots of #chatter.

McGee has not opened the batting for the first XI before; Vishal Tripathi, who usually does so, is suspended.

Slow start, Bootle in no hurry. S&B fielders very lively, Dilshan and Firth both keeping it tight.

Hale getting big strides in against Firth, umpire unmoved by theatrical LBW appeals. 6/0 from 8.

Testing stuff from Dilshan - first boundary of the innings comes off Hale’s inside edge. Then Firth gets McGee LBW, aiming a big yahoo to leg. 10/1.

Toby Lester the new man. Chris Cunningham moves himself from backward point to short cover, then Firth tells him to move himself back. Lot of leaders in this side.

Hale playing very watchfully; like a man who knows he’ll have to get a lot of these runs himself. He’s got 12 out of 14/1 so far.

Lester plays back to one from Firth which raps him on the pads; the finger goes up again. 18/2.

Bootle’s batting woes lately have mostly been exploited by spinners; Ruikar, Tillakaratne and Sephton have taken five-fors against them in recent weeks. Ben Saunders joins Hale in the middle.

Hale belts Dilshan for three fours in an over. Suspect we may have spin from both ends soon. 30/2 from 15; 143 needed.

Blinder of a crowd catch from Phillips, even though most of the crowd is more interested in the bouncy castle and/or the Prosecco tent. Bobby Wincer replaces Dilshan.

Hale has 36 out of 39/2 btw

Slightly loose start from Wincer, couple of full tosses; needs to settle into his groove a bit. 44/2 from 19 (Hale 40)

Very tense, tight stuff. 53/2 from 24, Hale on 47.

Hale reaches his 50 with a single to square leg off Wincer; 57/2. 116 needed.

Drinks. Fancy Bootle from here but get the sense Hale’s wicket could open the floodgates. Excellent, patient knock from the experienced opener.

And there is the big wicket - drinks does the trick again. Firth the bowler, Phillips takes a juggling catch at short leg. Hale out for 51 - Bootle 59/3. Now then.

Both a beer festival and a walking behind the sightscreen festival going on today.

Nobody apart from Hale has managed to time the thing. A few seem to be going through low; Firth a constant menace. Will Purser, with his bright red helmet glinting in the sun, is the new batter. 64/3. 18 mins to the last hour.

Stop sniggering.

Saunders thick-edges a four off Wincer. 70/3, 103 needed from the last 23-ish overs.

Saunders showing a bit more intent now. Firth is SURE he’s got him off a sweep that loops off something to slip - umpire disagrees. Not sure if it was off his arm, or a bump ball. 72/3. 101 needed.

Jack Carney whips Saunders’ bails off; no dice. Fine bit of fielding on the mid wicket boundary by Basil Sultan saves two runs. Time for one more over before the last hour. 81/3, 92 needed.

Here’s the last 20 overs then. Bootle need 89 runs, Southport 7 wickets. Firth to continue from the tennis court end.

Saunders is settled now, S&B need to start taking wickets or this is going to run away from them quickly.

After a 19-over spell, Firth is finally leaving his cap on. Cunningham replaces him. 83 needed from 18 overs.

Purser chips one to mid-off. Has the skipper opened up an end here? Scott Butterworth the new man. 91/4.

Butterworth finds the cover boundary off Wincer to bring up the 100. 73 runs, six wickets, 16 overs.

#TomViz (H-D-A) is 25-10-65.

Cunningham strikes Saunders’ front pad and can’t believe the umpire isn’t impressed. Four from the over. 104/4, 15 left.

Three from the next. Bootle have power to add here, keeping their powder dry and getting as close as they can before they have to really hit the gas. 14 left, 69 needed.

Butterworth finds two boundaries. 115/4. Bootle strong favourites from here. 10-5-85 I reckon.

S&B running out of chances, Butterworth making his second crucial intervention of the day. 121/4, 52 needed from 12.

They’re finding a boundary every over, and that’s about what they need. 126/4, need 47 from 11. Starting to look like a perfectly judged run chase, even if it seemed a bit haphazard at first.

Angus Gailey having a go.

Just one run from his first over. 10 to go, 46 needed, six wickets in hand.

Butterworth goes! Stumped smartly by Carney trying to charge Cunningham. 127/5.

Skipper Neil Williams next in. Three singles from the over. 130/5, 43 needed from 9.

Gailey bowls a runless over (if anyone has a better, non-problematic term for that, I’m all ears). 43 needed from eight. Still just a couple of big overs would settle this for Bootle.

Williams finds a sweep for four off Cunningham. Six from the over, 136/5. 37 from seven.

Now Williams runs Gailey for four down to third. Nine in all from the over. 28 needed from six. They’ve kept the rate required pretty constant.

Firth back on for Cunningham. Last throw of the dice.

And he rolls a double six. Williams pushes forwards, misses, and Carney does the rest. 145/6.

Field comes in for the new batter, Joe Nagle.

Danny Davies is on the Bootle card; not sure if he’s injured or if he’ll come out. Saunders sends Nagle back on an easy single, he wants the strike. He’s on 40, Bootle need 28 from five with three or four wickets in hand.

I mean you’d normally come out on one leg; Davies has football commitments which may preclude such a risk if he’s got a niggle.

Cunningham has a word with Gailey, who immediately yorks Nagle. Brilliant strategy, sir. 146/7.

Here is Davies. Blocks out one ball. 27 needed from four overs, definitely three wickets left. Saunders on strike.

Couple of jogged singles from the over. Are they shutting up shop, or saving it for a two-over shot-to-nothing slog? Need 25 from three.

Few singles from the over. Two left. 22 needed.

Firth gets Davies LBW on the reverse sweep. I don’t know why he was reverse sweeping with all the fielders on the boundary OK, just suspend your disbelief for one minute. Five for Firth. 153/8. Shaneil Patel Ponda to the middle with lots of company.

He survives. Saunders on strike to Bobby Wincer for the last over. 20 runs needed but I can’t see him going for them.

Saunders LBW to Wincer. Four balls left. Scenes.

Jaden Rose plays out two.

Last ball…

And it’s a draw. What a finish.

I struggled to keep up with that last hour, and I watched Twin Peaks: The Return.

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