Captain Neil Wood handed left-arm pace ace Harrison Heaton the choice of ends, with veteran John Wood taking the opposite.
Youngster Harrison started well against Slaithwaite’s youthful but talented opening pair, although the breakthrough proved frustratingly difficult to come by. At the other end, Wood bowled tightly with little reward, creating several opportunities without much luck.

The breakthrough finally arrived in the eighth over when Fielden spooned one up to mid-wicket, where Neil Wood gratefully accepted what can only be described as a regulation catch and just reward for some excellent bowling from Heaton.

After ten overs, Slaithwaite had reached 47/1 — a solid start on what appeared to be an absolute batter’s paradise of a wicket. (This theory was spectacularly disproved later.)

Into the attack came Tom Smaldon and Zach Challis, both of whom bowled superbly. Smaldon, in only his second over, clean bowled opener Solomou before removing Dodson for a golden duck with the very next ball, leaving himself with a hat-trick opportunity. Sadly, cricket remains cruel and the chance went begging.

Supported brilliantly by the unusually cheerful Challis, the pair completely shifted the momentum and shoved Slaithwaite firmly onto the back foot.

Next into the attack came father-and-son duo Neil and Freddie Wood, who continued in the same vein. Neil caused absolute chaos with his mystery spin, while Freddie, returning to bowl after a three-week injury layoff, tied down the middle order superbly.

Neil finished with figures of 5 wickets for just 8 runs from 5.1 overs, while Freddie chipped in with a fantastic 2 for 15.

Slaithwaite eventually closed on what looked a very gettable total, but given Lightcliffe’s batting performances in recent weeks, everyone knew this chase would require patience, discipline, and ideally several miracles.

This feeling wasn’t helped by Richard Buckland, who appeared to have pulled a fetlock somewhere near the boundary edge and was soon moving with all the elegance and mobility of a garden shed.

But dig in they did. Well… one of them did.

Last year’s captain Bruce Lunn produced an outstanding innings — thoughtful, skilful, composed and wise well beyond even his own increasingly vintage years. It was an innings built around one very clear objective, as Bruce himself later explained:

“Just don’t get out and get us over the line.”

Given the start to the season, it was exactly what Lightcliffe needed.

Bruce received support in patches, but if we’re being honest, he won this game almost single-handedly and deserves every plaudit going from a batting perspective. A magnificent knock under pressure.

The game, however, was not without controversy.

Elder statesman John Wood appeared to show the entirety of Calderdale the face of his bat after being given out — “I hit it,” he allegedly claimed — before launching said bat towards square leg like Daniel McKim, widely regarded as the greatest competitive caber tosser of all time. Who knew John was such a big tosser?

Thankfully, Neil Wood, also adjudged LBW shortly before, handled his own highly dubious decision with far greater grace, politely folding his wood under his arm before departing the field.

Maybe something was in the air because, at one point during the drinks break, it appeared all 11 Slaithwaite players simultaneously needed the toilet. Whether this was nerves, tactics, or a poorly timed team curry night remains unclear.

After the break, Bruce continued with the same calm, measured approach, taking minimal risks and guiding the villagers home to all 20 points - hopefully the result needed to finally kick-start the season.