Booth’s side are fourth in the Premiership table with seven wins from 10 games, claiming 12 points as they bowled Brinscall out for 193 inside 41 overs before recovering from 50-4 in pursuit to win by four wickets with 14.3 overs remaining.

Make no mistake, this wasn’t a straightforward win. Not one bit. In fact, Booth said at the end having claimed 12 points: “I don’t know why they’re down towards the bottom. They looked a decent side.”

Brinscall, inserted on a hot and sunny School Lane day, raced to 70-0 after 10 overs before falling to 193 all out inside 41 overs. Liam Winstanley top-scored with a patient 59, while his opening partner Zadian Muller crashed 45 off 36 balls.

The spin of Matthew Hicks claimed 4-26 from 5.1 overs, while match-winning Sri Lankan professional Milinda Siriwardana – he of 54 international caps between 2015-2019 – claimed two wickets and steered the chase with 71 off 51 balls.

He shared a decisive fifth-wicket stand of 127 with Indian overseas amateur Yatin Mangwani, who was far more measured for 31.

Siriwardana counts England’s current Ashes coach Brendon McCullum amongst his 11 Test wickets as a left-arm spinner. Given the fact he scored 54 of his runs in boundaries, you could say this was a Bazball-esque innings.

“Milly’s a good cricketer, and we bat all the way down,” said Booth. 

“We never really felt in any danger. I thought we chased them down well on a fast-scoring ground.”

The opening round of the season pushed back due to wet weather was played on Sunday, though the latter two mentioned clubs played their match last Sunday.

“If we can win the next couple, it will give us a real leg-up,” said Booth. 

“This was an important game because there’s a few fixtures in the next couple of weeks that are top six v top six.”

With the 23-round season almost halfway through, this was a good time to chat to Booth, who is also on the league’s committee. We previewed the season with him, when he spoke of his great excitement for the new league.

So, has it lived up to expectations? 

“Absolutely,” he said. “The only downer has been the weather early season.

“Going to different clubs to see what they’re about has been really good.

“We went to Padiham a couple of weeks ago in the Cup, and they beat us fair and square. Nice ground, nice people. Baxenden, Ribblesdale Wanderers are the same as well.

“You look at Brinscall. They’re struggling, but they put us under serious pressure early on.

“From my experience, it seems like the Ribb’ League clubs are cut from the same cloth as the Bolton League clubs. They want to play proper cricket, they play hard, and there’s plenty of good cricketers.”

Late last month, the league put out a call for expressions of interest from new clubs interested in joining, a response to which Booth says has been encouraging.

Parr’s 3-24 helped Padiham restrict their hosts to 133-8 before no one else reached double figures in reply after openers Jack Edgar (41) and Owen Deakin-Pickard (49) shared 75.

They crumbled to 124-9, but Parr and captain Toby Burrows put on 11 for the last wicket, including Parr’s maximum to ensure Padiham’s seventh win from 10 games, claiming 10 points.

On 84 points, sixth-placed Padiham are 30 behind leaders Little Lever, who claimed their 10th straight win and a 12-point haul against bottom side Walkden. They lost their 10th game despite impressive resistance from 25-6 on the road.

Nabeel Tahir’s belligerent 76 with nine sixes from number seven underpinned a revival to 187 all out. But a 135-run opening stand between Indian overseas amateur Nipun Gaikwad (53) and Adil Nisar proved decisive. Nisar finished 86 not out in an eight-wicket Little Lever (114 points) win.

Second-placed Eagley maintained the pressure with a five-wicket win – their seventh – at home to Cherry Tree, chasing 153 to move to 93 points.

Pakistani professional Ayaz Tasawar starred with 3-21 in Cherry Tree’s 152-8 and an unbeaten 63.

Barnoldswick’s fourth win ensured Ribblesdale Wanderers lost ground in third, triumphant by five wickets chasing 162 at home.

Sri Lankan pro Upul Indrasiri claimed 5-34 from 14 overs in Ribblesdale’s 161-9 before Abid Ul Wahab (45) and Jonathan Beech (44 not out) recovered Barnsoldswick from 94-4. 

Fourth-placed Farnworth won our featured game at Brinscall, while cross-town rivals Farnworth Social Circle (84 points) are just two points and a place behind having played 11. They claimed a landslide 126-run win at struggling Whalley, who slumped to 51 all out chasing 178.

Azan Riaz top-scored with 31 from number nine to recover Social Circle from 129-7 to 177 all out, the visitors surviving Levi Wolfenden’s outstanding 7-62 from 14.4 overs having taken the new ball. 

Chris Barrow claimed a remarkable 6-5 from six overs of spin for Social Circle.

Salesbury and Blackrod claimed away and home wins to strengthen their top 10 places. 

Salesbury chased 160 to beat Baxenden (159-9) by eight wickets as Oliver Wetton with 5-33 from 13 overs and Connor Dale and captain Pete Richardson – 64 and 63 – all shone.

Hosts Blackrod beat Read (140) by 114 runs having posted 254-7. Brilliant unbeaten Indian pro and opener Ankit Lamba hit his second 133 in three weeks before Charlie Fletcher starred with 5-29 in a routine defence.

Settle beat Earby at home by 84 runs. Tremaine Dowrich top-scored with 55 in 183 all out before his spin accounted for an excellent 3-13 from 10 overs in Earby’s 99 all out. 

Lostock and Atherton won almost identical games at Feniscowles and at home to Tonge – both by eight wickets – as they like Settle chase top 12 finishes. 

Tom Sheen’s new ball 5-17 bowled Feniscowles out for 96 before Lostock pro Akbar Ur Rehman top-scored with 34. 

Rehman’s fellow Pakistani pro Zain Abbas returned 5–33 for Atherton as they bowled Tonge out for 99. Opener Oliver Gredecki’s unbeaten 41 anchored a routine chase.

Astley Bridge have the same aim and claimed an eye-catching 29-run win over Oswaldtwistle Immanuel. 

Bridge were bowled out for 114 before skittling their visitors for 85.