After the excitement of the previous week, it was time to move into the summer cup part of the season. We had entered the same Magic and Phoenix combination into the High Peak competition, and one team in the South Manchester competition. Despite the absence of a number of players (although this of course affects other teams as well), we maintained our strong record, winning four and losing only one, against a stacked Cheadle side.
Tuesday 21st July 2026: High Peak U13s summer competition T20 (Group B)
Woodford 79 all out (13.3) lost to Heaton Mersey Magic 162/3 (20) by 83 runs (Scorecard)
Winning the toss and choosing to bat with a very strong looking batting line up manifested into what was always going to be a match winning total of 162/3. This was made all the more impressive by the fact that 3 of the top 7 fell for a duck!
However Shawaiz, Younus, Charlie & George all retired not out (Shawaiz the pick having faced only 11 balls to each 25) and only the end of the innings prevented Tom B & Liam H the chance to join them having compiled a chance free 32 runs between them in an unbroken partnership of 40.
The boys smartly noted that anything short and wide on this pitch was easy pickings with these short boundaries. A cunning plan was agreed to bowl full and straight, and protect the boundaries to build some early pressure. Completely ignoring this plan for 2 overs resulted in 27 runs being conceded from 2 talented batsman.
However, George settled nerves with a tight over, including the key wicket of one of the openers (an exceptional catch diving forward from Shawaiz). It was pretty plain sailing from this point with 2 wickets each from George, Liam & Omar and 1 each from Arjo, Tom & Paddy, the other being a smart run out by Charlie after sharp fielding by Shawaiz.
Batting was definitely the strong aspect of this performance. Despite the winning margin, the fielding has been stronger, although the catching was good. My man of the match would be George for his all-round contribution. DE
Friday 24th July 2026: South Manchester U13s summer cup T20 (Group C)
Heaton Mersey U13s 145/3 (20) beat Macclesfield 117/4 (20) by 28 runs (Scorecard)
The Under 13s got their South Manchester Cup group matches underway with a home game against Macclesfield on Friday night. The visitors came to town with a decent reputation, and a team sheet boasting three Cheshire players in their ranks.
Captain Zayaan won the toss and elected to have a bat on a flat-looking track. What seemed a sensible decision seemed to be unravelling, with the loss of both openers within the first 13 balls of the innings. However, from that point onwards the team batted beautifully, and it wasn’t until the 119th ball that the stumps were troubled again. This was particularly helpful as the rock hard ground meant it was very difficult to get the stumps to stay still.
Arjo (33* off 24), Shawaiz (31* off 22) and Stan (31* off 22) all retired, and Isaac (27* off 24) would surely have followed suit had the innings gone on a few balls longer. The score of 145 looked decent, but with the lightning fast outfield, would it be enough?
After a solid start, Macclesfield fell behind the required run rate and, whilst wickets remained hard to come by, the bowling was tight and the fielding sharp. 3 of the 4 wickets that fell went to the U12s, with the other being a run out. George backed up his solid batting performance with a wicket, and Gregory took a wicket with the first ball of both his overs (including a Cheshire batter), finishing with 2 for 5.
The match was sadly disrupted a few times due to injury. A taste of what was to come came in the first innings, when the Macclesfield wicketkeeper inadvertently winded their umpire with a powerful throw intended for one of his own fielders. During the Macclesfield innings, one of their batsman was caught on the knee when running between the wickets, causing him to retire hurt. The worst of the three injuries was sustained by Arjo who, making a brave effort to catch a powerful drive from one of Macclesfield’s strongest hitters, was struck in the cheek. He was very brave, and left the field to applause from all supporters.
In the end, with the sun almost gone and the moon high in the sky, Macclesfield finished on 117, meaning Mersey won by a comfortable 28-run margin. The team were unanimous in deciding that Arjo deserved the Player of the Match accolade, both for his bravery, but also for his batting, which helped the team recover from that shaky start.
Thanks are due to the opposition coaching team, in particular Richard, who spent most of his evening trying to prevent abandoned toddlers from entering into the firing line (the Green Lane Friday night classic), and Jonathan who helped get the covers back in position afterwards. It was my first time umpiring a lot of these boys, and they were a credit to the club and themselves. JW
Monday 27th July 2026: High Peak U13s summer competition T20 (Group B)
Stockport Trinity 122/8 (20) lost to Heaton Mersey Magic 125/3 (17.2) by 7 wickets (Scorecard)
It was a pleasant summer evening as the High Peak summer cup competition continued. Mersey won the toss and captain Thomas L elected to field, which is the braver choice at this time of year given the diminishing light later in the evening, but the ambitious intention was apparently to bowl them out cheaply and get home sooner. Mersey were a player short after a late injury drop-out.
A mix-up early on saw Trinity lose an opener to a calm direct throw at the stumps from Arjo. This brought in Nathan, Trinity’s Cheshire player, to the crease. The plan was to get him early before he could settle. There was a good shout of LBW followed by a chip to short mid-on, which looked to have been pouched by the captain, only for the ball to catch a finger end and dribble to the ground.
Half the team were already up celebrating. It was an uncharacteristic error, which was dutifully punished with 4 boundaries and a 6 before the Trinity batsman retired from 17 balls. Undeterred, Magic settled in to their work and 7 wickets fell for 28 runs in 7.1 overs. Only one wicket remained with 5.3 overs left and two of Trinity’s novice Year 5 batsmen at the crease, with the score on 81. An early finish looked on the cards.
However, spirited resistance followed, despite Magic throwing everything they had at the doughty young batsmen. A couple of solid blows to the arm were followed by 2 boundaries, to the applause of all present. The batsmen were beginning to enjoy their work and took it to the last over. Up stepped Paddy, given a rare opportunity to bowl a third over (due to only having 10 players), after 2 solid earlier overs.
What was to follow was extraordinary. The over went for 17 including 13 wides and 1 no-ball. Poor Paddy fell foul of the “8 ball maximum except the final over“ rule and ended up bowling (possibly a record) 19 deliveries. In fairness, the team had taken their foot of the gas collectively and should have wrapped the innings up much sooner. A salutary lesson for all.
Mersey sent out openers Thomas and Sam W with a target of 123 to chase. The captain settled in to his work quickly and unintentionally farmed the strike from his partner and vice-captain to the umpires’ amusement. Sam never really got going and fell for 3 off 13 trying to force a shot that wasn’t quite there.
At the other end, Thomas then Shawais and Younis all batted beautifully to retire on 25+ and leave the result never in doubt, despite having selected hard mode throughout. A couple of wickets fell before Isaac and Arjo steered Magic home with almost 3 overs to spare. It was a comfortable win in the end, although the shorts-wearing umpire would have preferred an earlier finish as the midgies and mozzies feasted on his bare legs!
Tuesday 28th July 2026: High Peak U13s summer competition T20 (Group C)
Heaton Mersey Phoenix 96 all out (18.4) lost to Cheadle Falcons 99/2 (14.2) by 8 wickets (Scorecard)
It was a defeat for Phoenix in the High Peak summer cup encounter against Cheadle’s strongest side. The toss was won by captain Sam H, who decided to bat in warm, dry conditions at the Heaton Mersey Village ground. The home side started brightly, with Sam rocketing to 25* (off 15 balls), with 4 fours including a sumptuous drive through extra cover.
But the away side bowled well and took regular wickets against a Mersey side with several batters pushed up the order to give them a chance at a longer time at the crease. However, plans often go awry and through a mixture of accurate, medium-paced bowling and some loose shots, Mersey lost several quick wickets to leave the home side on 67/5 after 10 overs, but set for a decent total.
However, Billy was out off the first ball of the 10th over (for 11 off just 5 balls while looking for a 25+ score) and the scoring rate decreased as Phoenix lost further wickets, falling to 75/8 (and effectively for 9 with the retirement). Will and Adam S defended well and took singles where possible to put on 22 for the final wicket, including a glorious cover drive by Will who finished on 18* (off 33 balls).
The home side were all out for 96, which looked 30 to 40 runs short given the very quick outfield and, with the pitch behaving better than earlier on in the season, it looked a tall order for the home side. And so it proved as the home side leaked early runs and the opposition feasted on leg side deliveries and extras.
There was a glimmer of hope as debutant Alec took a wicket with a superb, classic leg spinner’s delivery, but Cheadle continued to accumulate runs ahead of the required rate. Sam got a smart caught and bowled to remove the away side’s Cheshire batter, but Cheadle cantered to victory in the 15th over.
It was a well-deserved win for Cheadle, who were the better side on the day (and got revenge for being thrashed by Phoenix earlier in the season, when they had a weakened side and we went in strong). The pink match ball was awarded by captain Sam / vice-captain Will to Alec (U11) for a wicket on his U13 debut.
Areas for improvement – back to batting fundamentals of defending good/straight deliveries and scoring singles to rotate the strike. We have been working on this all season and some players seemed to have forgotten what to do, so we will-re-focus on this during the remaining training sessions this season. JH
Friday 31st July 2026: South Manchester U13s league T20 (Division 1)
Hale Barns 73 all out (16.4) lost to Heaton Mersey U13s 125 all out (20) by 52 runs (Scorecard)
It was a comprehensive win for Mersey in the South Manchester summer cup clash away at Hale Barns. The toss was lost by captain Sam H and the home side decided to bowl (which suited Mersey as they would have batted first). The weather conditions were ideal, with a pleasant warmth to the evening. Mersey had the advantage of winning here a few weeks ago and knew what to expect from a Hale Barns side which was like the team that played in their previous encounter.
Mersey were fielding a ‘High Peak’ style of team, mixing U13s and U12s and an U11 debutant (Seb B). The home side initially bowled well, taking two early wickets. Shawaiz was joined by Sam and they started to accelerate the run rate. The pair combined solid defense with boundary hitting with Shawaiz clubbing a couple of sixes.
Shawaiz then perished after a partnership of 32 runs. New batter George immediately hit the home side’s Cheshire spinner for 3 consecutive fours (hitting him out of the attack). George and Sam batted well together and forged a partnership of 37 runs, Sam retiring on a chanceless 32* (off 22 balls including 5 fours and a six).
Younus came in at number 6 and started brightly, hitting a superb six before George was bowled by the left arm spinner for a fluent 23 (off 24 balls which included 5 fours). Will joined Younus at the crease and the pair put on a sprightly 21 before Will was bowled (just after a nasty blow to the ribs). Younus then hit another couple of glorious fours as he retired on 31* (off 21 balls including 4 fours and six).
The home side, whose fielding was below standard, then hit back as their skipper, turning to bowl off spin, cleaned up Mersey’s tail with three quick wickets, Mersey finishing on a creditable 125.
Mersey then started with an all-U12 bowling attack and this immediately paid off as Will, bowling a superb line and length with some swing, clean bowled one of the home side’s powerful Cheshire batters for 1. Charlie, after some wayward legside wide deliveries, then produced a beauty to clean bowl batter #3. Game on!!
Hale Barns then consolidated, hitting quick singles and punching several offside boundaries before George produced an excellent slower delivery to bowl one of the home side’s Cheshire squad batters for 8; this was a pivotal moment in the match and Mersey’s grip became stronger as they squeezed the life out of the home side.
Enter U11 Seb B for his first over and what an over it was; bowling an immaculate line and length with enough pace to trouble the batters, he bowled five dot balls before clean bowling another home side’s Cheshire squad players – fantastic!!! Sam then clean bowled the opening batter for 28, and he and Arjo then strangled the run rate, with Arjo taking two wickets as they got turn and considerable bounce on a spin-friendly wicket. Sam W kept wicket very well in these conditions
Seb was then given another over and bowled another superb six deliveries, taking another wicket and finishing with the remarkable figures of 2 overs, 2 maidens, 2 wickets for 0 runs, quite astonishing as every ball challenged the batters. Albert then took a smart caught and bowled to get a wicket and Zayaan finished the home side’s resistance by taking the final wicket as George pocketed his 2nd catch of the match.
It was a fantastic win for Mersey in one of the best and most complete performances of the season. The pink match ball was awarded by captain Sam / vice-captain Will to Seb for amazing bowling on debut.
Areas for improvement – little in this match, so I will not bother, ha ha ha. JH
Authors denoted by the initials; all match reports (sub-)edited by PA.
