Last month Ross Adair had been playing in the vast Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi for Ireland Wolves. Eight days on, he was in the wide open spaces of The Cloughan playing for Lisburn in Templepatrick’s historic first ever home game in the NCU Premier League.

Adair admitted he preferred the Ballyclare ground – “it is not so hot” – and he also enjoyed his time in the middle a lot more. He only got out of the 20s one in the UAE but, back home, against much friendlier bowling he scored 93 from 71 balls to ensure a second successive victory for Lisburn and put them top of the fledging table on run-rate.

It wasn’t exactly men against boys but it was always going to be a huge ask for last year’s Section One champions who were playing without an overseas professional and taking on the All-Ireland T20 champions.

Captain Ross Bryans admitted  he was happy with a very respectable 190 for nine, keeping their visitors in the field for 50 overs, but he knew the most difficult task was still to come. Bryans conceded 15 from an eight-ball opening over, which included  three fours from Adair, making his Lisburn debut, and the Ireland international hit his first six four overs later, the ball after opening partner Johnny Waite had been dropped at long-on.

It was the first of three lives the Lisburn batters enjoyed. Waite’s did not prove costly as he was caught off young Evan Carlisle in the next  over but Adair was missed on 32, a hard chance in the swirling wind, and again on 44, a high but more straightforward chance at mid-on.

He brought up his 50 from 32 balls with eight fours and two sixes in the 10th over, but couldn’t double it, holing out to Bryans at deep mid-wicket in the 22nd over after what his captain, Neil Whitworth described as a ‘very mature’ second half to his innings.

His exit allowed Faiz Fazal and Neil Whitworth to ease their side to victory, adding the remaining 47 in 10 overs, with the captain “happy to bounce back so convincingly after our little hiccup last week (when they lost four wickets for one run before scrambling over the line against CIYMS).

With Adair’s arrival at Wallace Park, he will open with Waite, keeping Fazal back to number three when, in Whitworth’s words, “if we have a good first 10 overs, to see Faiz coming in will put fear into the opposition.”

Lisburn are also still without the injured Mark Adair and Josh Manley – although he returns on Tuesday – and Adam Kennedy was sitting an exam on Saturday so it was Nigel Jones who shared  the new ball with Ryan Macbeth.

It was Jones who made the breakthrough in his third over, a good ball that removed young Jack Smyth, who had made such a good impression in their opening game against Muckamore. Three balls later, Macbeth got into the act, with the help of a flying catch by David Miller and followed  up with two more bowled to leave the newcomers on 41 for four.

It did leave Templepatrick’s best two batters in the middle, Byrans and Patrick Tice, who had missed the Muckamore game, and they put on 67 without too much discomfort. Unfortunately, Tice then decided to reverse sweep Whitworth and it ended up in the hands of backward point, undoing all the good work of the previous 17 overs.

Bryans did bring up his 50, from 66 balls, but the introduction of Adair’s slow left arm bowling ended his innings on 60, Templepatrick’s eighth wicket and still more than 10 overs to bat. So it was great credit to first Levi Cave and then John Busby and Carlisle who added another 37 and denying Macbeth a five-for.

It was never going to be enough but they should be more competitive against Woodvale on Monday when they will be boosted by the return of Neil Brand as their temporary professional.

Lisburn, meanwhile, have Civil Service North, Cliftonville Academy, Woodvale and North Down as their next four league opponents before Waringstown visit the Park in the middle of June.