Chester Boughton Hall’s tanks are on the Love Lane Liverpool Competition lawn again, hoping to bring home the ECHO Cup for a record-equalling 11th time. 

Sunday’s finals day is at Formby, where they won their most recent trophy in 2019, and five of this season’s side played in that win.

But one of them, current skipper Jack Williams, admits their semi-final opponents, Rainford, are something of an unknown quantity.

John Dotters’ side have become regular contenders only in the past couple of seasons, winning the 45-over Ray Digman trophy last year and reaching the regional finals day of the national T20 competition last month.

It all adds up to an intriguing contest, to decide who will play the winners of Formby’s earlier clash with Birkenhead Park.

Williams said: “We’ve got fond memories of playing at Formby and it’ll be good to get back up there and play some sides we don’t normally compete with.

“It’s a competition we’ve had success in previously, and we’re really looking forward to it. 

“I don’t know much about Rainford at all – our plan on the day is very much to execute our skills and concentrate on ourselves.”

Both sides sit third in their respective leagues – par for the course at Chester, regular contenders for the Cheshire County League title, but still a novelty for Rainford, whose fourth place last year was further sign of their progress under Dotters.

The skipper said: “We hadn’t made a finals day since I started at Rainford, then to make two in a season is pretty special. 

“It’s a testament to how we’ve improved and covered all the bases, and the direction the club is going in.

“I think it’ll be a cracking venue and a good spectacle. I think there will be some big scores set, and some chased down. 

“We just all can’t wait to get going, it’ll be a good experience and hopefully it’ll go our way.

“Being in the National finals day this year, a couple of us got caught a bit cold with a lack of experience but hopefully it’ll set us in good stead, to know what to expect on the day. 

“It’s T20 cricket so anything can happen – it only takes one person from either side to get going, especially at a ground like Formby, the game can get taken away from you.”

The Cheshire league’s format this year is a new one – half of the matches win/lose, and half of them with the draw in the equation.

To complicate things further, half of the former format will be played with a pink ball and coloured kit – this segment begins on Saturday, giving Chester a chance to get used to the new colour scheme.

Williams said: “The whites have gone into the attic, and we can target our practice a bit more this week.

“We’re a well-balanced and well-rounded side, we’ve been quite successful in the league so far with no obvious stand-out. 

“Rather than being over-reliant on anyone, we’re quite well spread.”

Among their star names is Warren Goodwin, a club legend with more than 16,000 1st XI league runs in 458 games to his name.

“He’s got an incredible record and brings a lot of experience,” added his skipper. “He’s someone that we all look up to.”

Dotters himself is no newcomer, with 322 games under his belt – he’s excited to see if his side can get on a roll again, after the rain stilled their momentum in the league.

He said: “I don’t think it’s our own doing. We were on a roll, then the last six weeks we’ve been hit by the weather, our rearranged game was affected, and we just lost a bit of rhythm. 

“We’re still doing some good stuff but we’re having a couple of bad half-hours here and there, and at this level it’ll cost you. 

“But that’s something we can definitely rectify.”