Thread by @TomEvansCricket

Moor Park may not be hosting any Hundred games, but it’s looking fine ahead of @northernclub v @WallaseyCC

Northern have won the toss and chosen to 🦇. Think the pitch is two along from the one used by Lancs 2nd XI this week. It’s a bit cloudy but warmer than Wigan was last week.

Sohail Asilzada has the ball; Jac Kennedy facing up, with Tyler McGladdery at the other end.

Good straight line to start with. LBW shout against Kennedy turned down. Jamie Ashcroft from the far end.

Kennedy under way with a four to fine leg, then another through point to the weird bit near the bowling green. Comp’s answer to Candlestick Park, San Francisco. Some buzzers make it 14/0 off two overs.

Anything short is disappearing, and Kennedy has started strongly. 29/0 from four overs.

Andy Beaver getting a go from the far end. Sumit Ruikar is offering advice and helping set the field but can’t bowl due to a shoulder injury. Still, they’ve taken 20 wickets out of 20 so far this season without him - Beaver has two 5fers.

McGladdery hasn’t quite got his drive going yet; plenty of threes available out to the weird bit. 40/0 from seven overs, good start for the hosts.

Wallasey reckon Kennedy is an LBW candidate and Asilzada is sticking to the plan; but Kennedy eases him through mid-on for four. Lovely shot. 48/0

The sun is out, and Kennedy in particular is making hay. He’s on 34 out of 53/0.

Now McGladdery has the drive working; two from Asilzada disappear through extra cover. The umpires are talking about the ball, which is apparently not up to scratch. 62/0

Few heads dropping in the field; McGladdery smashes Beaver for four through Ruikar’s long boundary, then Kennedy eases four more through mid-wicket to move to 49. 83/0 from 16 overs, Dan Beaver getting a bowl.

McGladdery goes aerial off Andy Beaver, launching a straight six. Northern 91/0 and close to assuming total control here. Wallasey dug themselves out of a couple of holes last week against Formby; they must do so again.

50 for Kennedy, punching Dan Beaver to deep mid wicket for a single.

McGladdery slightly mistimes one but it goes for four anyway to bring up the 100 stand.

Breakthrough at last for Wallasey; Kennedy chips a leading edge off Andy Beaver to short cover off 51. Looked well set there and he’s disappointed. 101/1, Chris Laker to the crease

With two lefties at the crease, Dan Beaver’s flatter off-breaks might be useful. Bowls with the other hand but his trajectory is the most similar to Ruikar’s. Laker lofts Andy Beaver for six, keen to not let the rate slow. 109/1

McGladdery pushes a single to bring up his 50; that’s two in a row, following a century on Northern debut. Power to add here, too. 112/1 from 25.

Great grab by Jamie Crawley at short cover to remove Laker off Dan Beaver’s bowling. He didn’t get to the pitch but still caught it well; Crawley leapt to his right to grab it. 114/2 at drinks

Liam Grey next out for Northern; Wallasey will be pleased to have opened up an end after a tough start. Elsewhere, Ormskirk are 103/3 at Formby; Rainhill have slumped to 56/6 at Southport & Birkdale.

Now then. After being starved of the strike for a couple of overs, McGladdery aims a slog sweep at Dan Beaver and finds a fielder. Gone for 57, it’s 119/3.

New man Ben Edmundson doesn’t last long, plays back to one from Dan Beaver and is bowled. The ball before produced an LBW appeal so fierce the bowler fell over. Wallasey right back in this. 119/4

Greg Liebenberg joins Grey; still plenty of time to build a total but the champions have the scent.

Liebenberg breaks the spell with two off-side fours. 127/4 from 33 overs. Northern have closed on exactly 220 both games so far this season; they might want a few more today.

Grey gets away with one, just wide of Ruikar on its way to the boundary, then celebrates by sweeping a full toss. 143/4

This pair having to take a lot of risks to keep the score moving, but doing a decent job of rebuilding.

Game has settled down after a clatter of wickets. Beavers trying to keep the score pressure on and waiting for a rash shot. Grey and Liebenberg looking fairly untroubled and have put on 50. 169/4

Liebenberg goes big down the ground a couple of times off Dan Beaver, then tries a third and loses his bails. 183/5

Just occurred TCS had it wrong - all the previous Liebenbergs were actually Alex Vincent. The real Liebenberg is batting now. 192/5

Crawley replaces Dan Beaver. It is now Quite Hot. 200 up for Northern in the 49th over. They won’t want to bat past 55.

Grey runs past one from Andy Beaver and is stumped for 45. 213/6 in the 52nd

Continuity Liebenberg biffs and reverses Northern past 220. Two overs to go until I assume they’ll declare.

Last over before the cutoff now. Liebenberg smacks two fours then James Cole casually rings the bell to declare. The score is 243/6 and apparently we can now ring the bell to declare? Nothing against it, just wish I’d been copied in on the memo.

Interesting game this. 244 will never be easy but from 101/0 it could have been a whole lot more. Dan Beaver’s four wickets have made this achievable for the visitors; now be and Crawley in particular have a job to do with the bat. Turned into a glorious day too.

Elsewhere, S&B on the verge of a comfortable win over Rainhill having bowled them out for 88.

New Brighton have declared on 229/7 against Wigan; Formby have dismissed Ormskirk for 214

Here, Crawley and Beaver (Dan) are making their way to the middle, at the foot of a 244-run climb. Need a good start. Liam Grey marks out his run.

Alex Vincent from the other end.

Grey finds Crawley’s edge but it goes to ground. Tight start from the seamers, sticking mainly to a 4th/5th stump line. 2/0

Slowest passage of play of the whole game, this; reflective of how important this partnership is to the visitors. 6/0 in the 6th.

Beaver clubs Vincent through the covers for the innings’ first boundary. News of Forest taking the lead spreads like hilarious wildfire around Moor Park.

Northern have the breakthrough thanks to an uppish clip from Beaver off Grey, and a plunging catch at mid-wicket by Tom Sephton. 13/1.

Josh Rylance the new man. Crawley still being very cautious, but sees one he likes from Vincent and creams it through extra cover. Feels like more threat has come from bowling straight all afternoon. 17/1

Rylance off the mark with a cut for four that infuriates Grey. 21/1

Now here’s Sephton with the ball. Got Crawley c&b cheaply twice last year; and the Wallasey man isn’t in control of his first shot here.

Sephton gets Crawley again - his patience runs out and he skews one to backward point. Hosts in the box seat here, as Chris Davies joins Rylance. 27/2

Two in two! Davies can only prod Sephton to slip. 27/3 as Sumit Ruikar emerges.

Hat-trick ball does not produce a hat-trick

Ruikar can bat, of course. But he and the middle order have a hell of a job on their hands now. 28/3, still 215 behind

Rylance lifts Sephton down the ground to ease a bit of the pressure. 34/3

Rylance gone now to the first lbw of the match, Sephton the bowler. 46/4

Andy Ward joins Ruikar. Wallasey need something very special to get anywhere near their target of 244. It’s 50/4

Danny Wilson on to replace Grey. 51/4

As it’s the cricket season, I am only interested in cricket. Quiet passage of play here, though Ruikar is starting to assert himself a bit. 68/4. Plenty of runs to get, and plenty of time to get them.

Stung by my “starting to assert himself” remark, Ruikar gives it away, chipping Sephton to mid-off for 25. Captain Greg Beaver joins Ward at 69/5, still 175 needed. These two rescued the side against Formby; they need all that and more now.

Wilson gets Beaver, caught behind… this is just about done. 78/6 as Jack Leckey arrives at the crease.

#Drinks with Wallasey 84/6. 35 overs done but nowhere near the last hour yet, so a lot of overs for the tail to even think about batting out. The target is a distant 244

Five for Sephton as Ward is caught at short leg. 92/7. Preserving battery a bit but I doubt there will be much more to tweet about …

Last hour called, so at least 20 overs to go. Sohail Asilzada edges Wilson twixt keeper and slip.

Wallasey have negotiated the first five overs of the last hour with a couple of alarms but no wickets. 99/7. Forget the target. At least 15 overs to go.

Alex Vincent replaces Wilson with 14 overs to go (now a seamer is on, we won’t get more than 20 in)

Leckey plays out Vincent’s over. 105/7, 13 left

Asilzada goes for a big sweep off Sephton. It balloons to cover, where Vincent takes a fine catch. Andy Beaver joins Leckey. 105/8

12 overs left, Northern need two wickets

Grey back on from the far end; Leckey sees him off, leaving Beaver just one ball. Two wickets from 11 overs.

Leckey plays out Sephton but Beaver on strike to Grey. 10 overs, two wickets

He deals with it. Nine overs, two wickets.

Leckey untroubled by Sephton this time. Eight overs, two wickets. Wilson back on.

Beaver handles Wilson a lot better than Jim ever managed on Friday Night Dinners. Seven overs, two wickets

Leckey edges Sephton low to slip. Great catch. Some discussion over whether it carried but he’s gone. 108/9, Jamie Ashcroft the last man.

Six overs to go

Not this time… 30 balls to go. Ashcroft taking strike for the first time, to Sephton.

Couple of close calls. And a single! Four overs, one wicket

Some huge shouts. Nothing given. Three overs, one wicket. Maybe even another over? 10 minutes anyway

Yeah they’ll get at least another over in here… if they need it. Two more overs played out… last of the 20 coming up from Sephton. Batters having a chat.

#QuicklyRound once more. Another couple I reckon, unless they smack a boundary or two.

No joy for Wilson - Sephton to bowl surely the last, to Ashcroft

Prods a single in the air past silly point

Last ball… blocked out. Some effort that from the Wallasey tail - they’ve denied their rivals a win having been second best from ball 1

243/6 plays 111/9… call it a draw. Timed cricket is unironically the best.

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