Friday is the new Monday - and New Brighton skipper Adam Neal hopes the change in day will lead to a change in fortunes for his side in their Wirral derby against Wallasey.
Traditionally held on the late May bank holiday, this year’s fixture at Rake Lane is taking place today, presumably at the personal request of Queen Elizabeth II.
Whether or not Her Majesty is following proceedings, the game is still a big one for all sorts of reasons.
The rivals may only be separated by less than a kilometre, but their fortunes so far this season have been miles apart.
Wallasey sit top of the pile, with four wins from six; Neal’s men are 10th, one of a cluster of four sides with just one victory so far.
But adversity brings out the best in them. That one win came in a chase of 261 having just watched Formby’s Ian Cockbain smash an unbeaten 162; Saturday saw them fall just short of a stirring win over the defending champions, Northern.
Four more runs from Neal, who played out the last over, would have done the trick; instead, they settled for their fourth draw of the season.
“There’s no doubt about it; they are favourites,” said Neal ahead of today’s clash.
“They’ve made a really good, strong start to the season and I think they’re very clear on how they want to play their cricket.
“But I think we’ve also made a good start. We’ve been a little bit unlucky with fielding issues here and there, and getting close at Northern showed our ability.
“If we get both aspects of our game together, with bat and ball, we’ll be really competitive.
“At Northern and against Formby, we’ve shown we have the ability to take it deep and go all the way - to be four runs shy against the champions is a great effort, and shows what the team is capable of.”
The two games Wallasey have failed to win have seen their opponents nine down - Formby’s last pair held out for more than 20 overs on Saturday, a week after Wigan crept over the line.
Skipper Greg Beaver said: “Although the past couple of weeks have been pretty frustrating, I’ve got no argument with how we played our cricket.
“From the start, it’s been fantastic. We could easily be sitting on six wins from six.
“We need to keep taking each game as it comes and hopefully keep picking up the wins.
“We’ll go into this game full of confidence on the back of how we’re playing at the minute, but New Brighton will be up for it just as much as our guys are.”
Both sides have in-form openers going into today. Owais Shah’s 127 for the Rakers on Saturday followed a 98 two weeks previously at Newton-le-Willows.
Neal said: “Owais has been a class act - we knew that when we signed him, and I was really pleased for him to get his first century for the club.
“He batted exceptionally well and was leading the charge, so hopefully he can inspire a few of the lads to follow in his footsteps.”
For Wallasey, another of the Beaver brothers, Danny, became the first batter to cross 400 Premier Division runs during his 136 against Formby.
Jamie Crawley, with whom Beaver has shared three century opening stands so far this summer, is away with Durham’s 2nd XI today - but the captain hopes he’s left his mentality behind in the dressing room.
Greg Beaver said: “Dan went through a bit of a rough patch towards the end of last season, which he’ll be the first to admit.
“But now he looks a completely new player.
“Jamie’s mentality rubs off on the rest of the team - he’s got a no-fear attitude, and it’s definitely rubbed off on Dan.”
Positive attitude helps, but so does having one of the best overseas pros the Comp has seen in recent years.
Wallasey’s left-arm spinner Sumit Ruikar has taken at least five wickets in every game so far - Neal knows his side have to be at their best to handle this fine practitioner of the league’s deadliest art.
He said: “We talked a lot about it over the course of the winter, not necessarily just for Ruikar but in general with the calibre of left-arm spinners and the way teams have been playing their cricket over the last few years.
“Having a set game plan and understanding exactly what you want to do when you’re facing a bowler of that calibre is really important.
“But I think being up for it is also important.
“You’ve got to back your own skillset and your ability, and being tested against a first-class bowler in these conditions is part of the fun.”
New Brighton’s own pro, Bangladeshi all-rounder Arafat Sunny, is still awaiting his visa.
“I’m very confident in the team’s ability,” added Neal. “I think we’ve got huge amounts of potential.
“The visa situation is frustrating - it’s a lottery at the moment, and hopefully we’ll get some good news soon.”
As for Beaver, he’s looking forward to the occasion, and the chance to pull ahead of the chasing pack before they have the chance to play.
He added: “It’ll be good to get the chance to extend the gap at the top and hopefully put pressure on Wigan and Northern in second and third.
“And obviously, being our local rivals, it’s always a massive occasion.”
