BURSCOUGH captain Alan Murray has been assured the West Lancashire village is ready to get behind its cricket team when they make their Liverpool Competition debut tomorrow.

The former Merseyside & Southport Cricket Alliance side entertain Ainsdale and it’s a game that has caught the imagination of locals.

“The whole club and village is excited about us playing in the Competition,” said Murray. Burscough have added New Zealand all-rounder Ben McCord and ex-Ormskirk man Mark Rawsthorne to the squad which finished runners-up to Rainhill in last year’s MSCA.

The skipper believes that both team and club are more than up for the battles ahead this summer.

Murray said: “We’ve had three promotions in five years, we’ve got Clubmark and we’re also an LCB Focus club. We’ve got a four-bay net facility under construction and we run junior sides in five age-groups.

“It’s all really encouraging for cricket in this area.

“My Dad captained Burscough, I learned my cricket here and I came back to the club to get it where it is now.”

Murray’s bowling resources feature the slightly unlikely figure of Dick Powell, a 60-year-old veteran who played for Leyland and still takes sheaves of wickets.

“He can bowl spinners or seamers dependent on the conditions,” Murray said.

“Dick’s just a very intelligent bowler who can think people out.”

Also in tomorrow’s Business Assistance Liverpool Competition First Division fixture list Rainhill visit St Helens and relegated Maghull entertain Liverpool.