Martyn Evans’ last act as New Brighton’s captain was lifting the Liverpool Competition title in 2015.

Back in the saddle, safe to say he is not expecting a repeat.

If successive finishes of 9th, 10th and 10th post-Covid weren’t enough of a reality check, this winter’s movements will have been.

Many clubs are struggling with recruitment. But the departures of the all-rounder Botes brothers, Louis and Seb, batters Dan Cooke and Owais Shah and left-arm spinner Sukhjit ‘Sunny’ Singh will leave a gaping hole in the Rakers’ line-up for Evans to fill.

And he will have to do it by promoting from within.

It’s a role the club stalwart will take on if not with relish – a return to captaincy had not been in his plans, after a ligament injury curtailed his previous spell – but with a keen sense of duty.

After Adam Neal decided to step down, someone had to step up; Evans, who returned to the club last year as director of cricket after a stint at Caldy, was the only choice.

“We’ll have to restart and rebuild,” he said. “It’s been a tough few years for the club in general but we have to press the reset button. 

“And some young lads are going to have to learn at the tough end of the cricketing spectrum.

“Lads who were batting in the 2s last year are going to have to bat in the top order.

“It’s the hardest way to learn but it can also be the best.

“If people have it, and want it, then they’re going to figure it out quickly.

“A lot of lads have got the ability and the talent, but it’s not ideal for them to be coming in and needing to perform. But they’re going to have to pick it up quickly.”

Evans, now 40, remembers being thrown in at the deep end as a youngster in the early 2000s against the great Ian Cockbain’s all-conquering Bootle side. 

He added: “It’ll be brutal for them, but it’ll make them better.

“You learn how to face bowlers quicker than you’ve ever faced, and who spin it more than you’ve ever seen.

“The step up is enormous in our league at 1st XI level, never mind going from the 2nd XI. 

“It’s going to be a great opportunity for these lads, and the positive side is these are cricket club lads through and through.

“I couldn’t be happier to be leading them. I just know it’s going to be tough.”

There will be a helping hand in the form of Damitha Silva, a Sri Lankan left-arm spinner. With him as a “focal point” to help the likes of teenage tweaker Elliot Griffiths learn on the job, Evans is hoping to have enough to keep his side afloat.

He said: “Our expectation will always be to keep Premier Division status.

“These lads are going to try to learn how to win. Losing is a trend which has been at the club for a couple of years now.”

The trend has a knock-on effect when it comes to recruiting and retaining players. And with participation numbers down across the board, those at the beginning of their careers are less likely to be content with waiting in the wings at New Brighton, instead of playing at a lower level.

“When I started, there were four teams of adults,” Evans recalled. “Now you’re seeing kids aged 14 and 15 playing at the highest level.

“When I was 14, I was scoring – I’d take my whites along to my dad’s 3rd XI games and if someone couldn’t get out of work, I’d play.

“But now lads of that age are expecting to get games.”

With two strong promoted sides in Newton-le-Willows and Birkenhead Park, Evans is realistic about his side’s chances of breaking into the top half. But he’s hopeful of grinding out enough results.

He added: “We’re going to play the games, make these lads better and move forward into the next generation of New Brighton.”