It looked a tricky opening day fixture, and so it proved, as Walsden ran out comfortable winners in the opening game of the season.
The Stags won the toss and asked the visitors to bat first. Three dropped catches early on proved costly, as Walsden moved from 54-1 to 107-2, with Joe Gale (53) and Jake Hooson (36) taking full advantage. A big score loomed, particularly with a powerful middle and lower order still to come, but the Stags did well to pull things back.
Rizwan Sadiq impressed on debut, returning excellent figures of 11 overs, 2-30, while Joe Humphreys picked up crucial wickets on his way to 2-42. Walsden eventually posted a competitive 174-5 from their 50 overs.
In reply, the Stags got off to the worst possible start. Joe Humphreys was run out early, while Jack Taylor and Keelan Shipley both departed cheaply. At 39-4, the task looked a steep one, but a 46-run partnership between Leighton Friend (35) and professional James Price (28) briefly gave the home side hope.
Unfortunately, Friend was bowled first ball after drinks, and the innings never fully recovered. The tail offered some resistance, but not enough to shift the momentum, with Norden eventually bowled out for 130 in 43.2 overs.
Scorecard : https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/7216286
The Second XI faced a tricky away encounter at Nelson.
Skipper Docker won the toss and elected to bat, and his decision was rewarded with an excellent opening stand of 97 between Slater (39) and Kirkby (39). However, the introduction of spin changed the complexion of the innings, with 97-0 quickly becoming 97-3.
Some middle-order resistance from Docker (25) and Holt (19) helped steady things, but another collapse saw the Stags finish on 165-9 from their 45 overs.
In reply, Norden made early inroads before a third-wicket partnership of 45 put Nelson in a strong position. The turning point came when Holt produced a beauty to dismiss Pettinger (43), shifting the momentum back towards the visitors.
Regular wickets followed, although Lister (37*) offered stubborn resistance. In the end, Nelson finished on 152-9, handing Dockers men a hard-fought victory and 10 valuable points.
Scorecard : https://norden.play-cricket.com/website/results/7216531