The British summer hit hard in weeks 7 and 8, with a number of games falling victim to the rain, either through waterlogged pitches or inopportune downpours. Games home to Woodford, away at Timperley, Hyde and Macclesfield, and home to Cheadle (again!) were all postponed. We still managed six games, winning four of them and losing two.
Tuesday 12th May 2026: High Peak U13s league T20 (Division Bollin)
Mellor 77 all out (19.5) lost to Heaton Mersey Phoenix 97/1 (20) by 20 runs (Scorecard)
A victory for the Phoenix squad in the High Peak group match away at Mellor. Captain Stan won the toss and decided to bat on a very green-looking pitch at Mellor’s sloped ground. Openers Billy and Will struggled initially against the accurate seam bowling attack. After 5 overs, Mersey were 5-0, but the scoring rate started to improve as Billy launched a huge legside 6 out of nowhere.
Will was run out pushing for a quick signal and in stepped Stan. Stan immediately looked in the batting groove and starting taking singles to rotate the strike and the running improved between him and Billy. Billy went on to retire on 28 (off 37 balls) including a superb switch hit for 4. Stan continued to play elegantly and with great game awareness, hitting several fours including a lovely, clipped leg side boundary finally retiring on a stylish 27* of 23 balls.
Jake and Liam then finished the innings unbeaten on 10* and 8* respectively with Liam hitting his first ever 4. Mersey finished on 97/1 off their 20 overs, which looked 10-15 runs light.
After a quick turnaround, Mersey starting bowling with Jake and Will opening the innings. Jake got a superb caught and bowled but it was ruled out with a late no-ball call (by the home side umpire). Puneeth struck first in the 3rd over with his new bowling action, clean bowling one of the openers.
The home side upped the scoring rate until the 6th over, when Sam struck in successive balls with his left arm spin. Archie cleaned bowled another home side batter leaving Mellor struggling. Will then got his customary wicket bowling a lovely line and length on a pitch that suited his bowling. In stepped Adam S in the 12th over and, after a couple of looseners, he bowled an immaculate leg spinner with Ollie taking an excellent catch behind the stumps. It was like watching prime Shane Warne in his pomp!
Adam also took a wicket in his 2nd over (snaffled by Jake who was vocal at mid-wicket throughout the match). The match then started to ebb away as the home side struggled to get bat on ball until a superb run out by Tom R snagged another wicket. Two more run outs then ended the innings as the home side ran everything. Jake was unlucky when he got another wicket off a no-ball (a superb one-handed catch by Sam at cover), again called by the home side umpire. All eleven players got to bowl.
Mersey won match with some extra quality in the field and sensible batting marshalled expertly by captain, Stan. The pink match ball was awarded by captain Stan/vice-captain Jake to Adam for his bowling impact.
Areas for improvement – Running the first run hard and with intent, putting pressure onto the fielders.
Friday 5th June 2026: South Manchester U13s league T20 (Division 3)
Whalley Range Eagles 78/7 (20) beat Heaton Mersey U12s 74 all out (18.4) by 4 runs (Scorecard)
After a win in our opening game in Division 3 of the South Manchester league, we had a tougher task going back to Whalley Range (having played their U12s) to play against their U13s second team (their first team competing against our U13s in Division 1). It was another of those cooling summer evenings leading to multiple layers being needed as the match progressed.
Whalley Range won the toss and chose to bat – we would have chosen to field had we won the toss and so both sides were seemingly happy. The boundaries were distant so scoring would not be easy. Jake started excellently in the second over, snaring their opener LBW (the second appeal in succession) before bowling their other opener off the pads with an apparent inswinger.
Then, having been hit for four, Leo struck twice in succession, the first a stumping as keeper Sam sharply noticed the batter stood out of his ground, the second bowled first ball. The scoring rate remained slow as Jake returned to take a third wicket, finishing with the excellent figures of 3-1 off his two overs, before Thomas L struck twice in two balls, taking a return catch before hitting the top of off stump.
That left the home side at 40/7 after 12 overs and limping to a low total, but a spirited if steady lower order partnership got them to 78. It wasn’t much but on a pitch with low and variable bounce, it would still be a challenge.
That was emphasised when Harvey was adjudged LBW for 0 and Leo was bowled for 1. Jake, meanwhile, continued his strong performance, hitting three fours before eventually being out for a breezy 15 off 19 balls, top edging a ball high in the air to be well caught by square leg, who had only just dropped an easier chance.
The batters were finding it tough as the ball often stayed low, and the remainder of our wickets were all bowled. Archie (12) and Evan (11) got themselves in, but then got out, as other struggled. Sam was the only one to get to grips with things, eking out a gritty 17 not out off 20 balls and playing every ball on its merits.
We got closer and closer to the target, but wickets kept tumbling. Sam hit the final ball of the 18th over for four to leave us five away from victory, but their loopy spinner proved too much for Huzaifah and Sam was left stranded at the non-striker’s end. After a narrow victory against the U12s, this time it went the other way. We could, and probably should, have won, but their bowling was consistently strong and it was not an easy pitch to play on.
Friday 5th June 2026: South Manchester U13s league T20 (Division 1)
Heaton Mersey U13s 81/6 (14.5) beat Didsbury Buffaloes 80/7 (20) by 4 wickets (Scorecard)
It was a superb victory for Mersey in this encounter with Didsbury in Division 1 of the South Manchester League at Heaton Mersey Village. Captain Adam won the toss and decide to bowl first on a cool, damp evening. Shazil took the first over and bowled their opener with a superb inswinging yorker. Ball 2 was another full- length delivery that induced a false stroke with Adam taking his customary diving catch at cover. HAT TRICK BALL: with the crowd in anticipation, Shazil charged in from the New Housing Estate End and produced another superb yorker to clean bowl the new batter for a magnificent HAT TRICK (!!!) and with the first three balls of the match.
The away side batters were nervous coming into bat. Mersey wee relentless and the fielding was razor sharp in the early overs; throwing into Sam was excellent from all the outfielders (Joe and Isaac were superb). Naeem then got the next wicket with another superb fuller delivery which shattered the stumps. This was quickly followed by a run-out as the away side’s jitters resulted in some poor running/calling.
Didsbury then batted well and accumulated runs at a steady rate to consolidate their innings albeit with lots of edges from the bat, close run-out calls and a couple of dropped catches (difficult ones though). Another run-out with a crazy call for a 2nd run that was never on slowed the away side’s scoring.
Monty then bowled a superb couple of overs with his off-cutters confusing the batters and got a well-deserved wicket. Didsbury finishing on 80/7 off 20 overs which, despite the pitch displaying some large fluctuations in bounce, still looked 10-20 runs under par. The home side would have to bat well though to win the game.
Adam and Shazil continued their burgeoning opening partnership with a solid start, putting on 30 runs (off 6.3 overs), before Adam was trapped LBW. All batters were finding it difficult to time the ball and the variable bounce continued. Three quick wickets boosted the away side’s hopes, but with Mersey ahead of the run rate, the home side were still favourites to win.
A flurry of boundaries for Younus and Shazil then took the home side to the brink of victory as Shazil retired on 30* (off 37 balls) with a classy chanceless knock augmented with superb shot selection. The away side’s best bowler took another couple of wickets with a superb over before a no-ball ended the match as Mersey completed an excellent win against the previously unbeaten visitors, Monty and Isaac remaining unbeaten.
Mersey won match with a great display in the field, especially in the opening 10 overs as they matched the performance vs Toft a couple of years ago (a mention for Sam for his excellent keeping on this tricky surface). The pink match ball was deservedly awarded by captain Adam / vice-captain Stan to Shazil for his hat-trick, retiring not out and fielding without a blemish; a complete performance by Shazil. Everyone played their part in this victory.
Areas for improvement – Maintaining bowling and fielding standards throughout the innings.
Sunday 7th June 2026: High Peak U13s league T20 (Division Dean)
Heaton Mersey Magic 129/6 (20) lost to Bowdon Vale 155/6 (20) by 26 runs (Scorecard)
It was an overcast Sunday morning at Green Lane that brought back good memories of many such outings last season for U11s. Mersey won the toss and elected to chase with a mixed U11-U13 team.
Bowdon requested 20 balls maximum per batter for their team to allow some of the less experienced players a chance to bat.
The opening pair looked a bit scratchy initially facing the Mersey quicks. However, the normally reliable Younis and Zayaan lacked there typical accuracy, which led to a couple of beamers and numerous extras, Harvey behind the stumps taking evasive action as a howitzer from Younis came hurtling towards him on the full!
At the halfway stage, Bowdon Vale were 69-2 with one retired not out from 20 balls (albeit only scoring 13 runs). During the change of wicket-keeper, Mersey had a chat and assessed the match situation. It wasn’t a great first 10 overs but if the opposition could be restricted to 30-40 runs in the second half, that would be chaseable with short boundaries.
Unfortunately, Bowdon had kept some batting in reserve (perhaps contradicting their request to give the less experienced batters a chance to bat) and the ball was dispatched to and over the aforementioned short boundary with some lustre.
The only bowlers to come out with any real credit were the outstanding Thomas Cliff, stepping up from the U11s to show Cheshire form with 2 maidens; and Charlie and Olly who both went for only single figures in their 2 overs, including a wicket for Olly. A special mention goes to Lloyd, who took a superb wicket, bowled his 2 overs for 10. Bowdon Vale posted 155-6 (with 36 extras) – a challenging total.
Mersey knew they would have to have 4 or 5 batsmen retiring in 25 to have any chance of chasing down an enormous total. The run chase did not start well. Bowdon Vale’s opening bowler had some pace and bowled a good length, restricting opener Younis to a single only off the first three balls. Harvey then got a juicy full toss first ball. His eyes lit up and he clothed it to an ecstatic square leg. This felt like a fatal blow.
Younis then went on the counter attack, with Thomas holding down the other end. The mighty all-rounder struck 4 enormous sixes, including 3 in a row to retire on 26 from 13 balls (the last one was meant to be a four to give him another shot, but it was hit too well). Charlie then joined Thomas at the crease and, whilst he did not have the power to clear the rope, he played his best innings of the season, striking 5 boundaries for 26 from 18 retired.
This brought Zayaan to the crease to join the now set Thomas. Magic were well up with the rate – they just needed both batsmen to get to 25 and retire. The pair went about their work in determined fashion, pinching singles to rotate the strike and hitting the occasional boundary.
Thomas hit an aerial 4 over the leg side, narrowly avoiding a fielder. When he went for a similar shot again (having been gentle warned by the umpire), he was not so fortunate and picked out a fielder in the deep for 14 from 17 balls. It was then up to Zayaan to martial the tail.
Tom Bibby fell shortly after with a peach of a delivery that clipped the top of oof stump. Lloyd then had a swing, hitting 1 boundary for 8 from 17. The run rate was climbing all the time. Zayaan finally reached 26 from 45 balls and retired. Harry and Olly were both dismissed chasing runs for the team.
Zane batted out the remaining over (after Paddy failed to pad up in time for the final delivery) to leave Mersey 26 short on 129-6 and an unlikely chase proved to be beyond the magic line-up.
It was a very high scoring and entertaining game that was enjoyed by all. On another day, 129 would have been more than enough but credit to Bowdon Vale who showed how an innings can be timed to perfection.
Friday 12th June 2026: South Manchester U13s league T20 (Division 3)
Lindow Super Giants 30 all out (10.5) lost to Heaton Mersey U12s 30/1 (6.5) by 10 wickets (Scorecard)
The week had been a washout but confidence was moderately high that the rain would finally stop on the Friday lunchtime. With our fixture away at the Lindow Super Giants (newly renamed this year to match the Manchester Originals sellout, sorry, rename) being held at the Wilmslow Leisure Centre (Lindow’s third ground), which crucially had an artificial strip, we were reasonably confident of a match going ahead. Slightly bizarrely, we had been told that the groundsman would be happy for us to play unless it rained an hour before the game, by which point we would already be on our way.
There was some trepidation at the quality of our opponents. While they had lost more than they had won in the two South Manchester phases, they had recently beaten NECCC comfortably, albeit also losing badly to Timperley in our group. We had picked maybe our strongest U12s team yet, though, so we thought we were in with a shout.
The sunshine was mercifully blazing down (albeit with a strong breeze) as we lost the toss and Lindow elected to bat, as last week in line with what we wanted anyway (we would have chosen to bowl). The scorer’s sons, who apparently don’t usually play in this team, opened the batting. It didn’t take long for our opening bowler, Jake, to make an impact.
With his third ball, he bowled one of the openers who had taken a bit of a swing at a full delivery. Next ball, the non-striker (the other opening brother) did not concur that there was a run on and set off late, so that when Gregory fielded the ball, threw it to wicket-keeper Sam, who cleanly gathered and took off the bails, the square leg umpire (their umpire) had no doubt about giving it out. The best was saved for the last ball of the over, as the batter drove the ball in the air to the left of Jake, who somehow plucked it out of thin air with his left hand. That left the opposition 2/3 after the first over.
George bowled a tight maiden before Will stepped up to make an impact, bowling the batter with his second ball, then inducing a chipped catch to Jake (fielding ever closer at a sort of short cover, and he still had to reach and take it low), then bowling another batter with his final ball. That left them on the incredible score of 3/6. This became 6/7 (stop that) when Thomas hit the stumps with the last ball of his over. There followed some sensible, and very necessary, consolidation, but Charlie had other ideas, hitting the stumps yet again with his first delivery, to leave them 16/8.
Finlay came into the attack and found his usual flight, which was too much for the batter, whose eyes lit up, the bat swung and missed, and the stumps were hit again. The number 11 batter swiped the next ball for four, the only boundary of the innings on what was, not unexpectedly given the rain, a very slow outfield. But Archie soon cleaned things up, with the stumps rattled once more, to bowl Lindow out for a miserly 30.
The run chase was clean and straightforward, with Jake and Charlie, generally running well between the wickets (Lindow’s calling had not been good), despite their protestations. Their opening bowler was pretty rapid so survival against him was key, but they cashed in against the other bowlers, with Charlie finishing unbeaten on 20, finding the boundary twice after being hit in the stomach with a beamer (clearly taking it personally), and Jake unbeaten on 8. There were a couple of half chances given but generally it was sensible cricket.
The 10-wicket win was secured near the end of the 7th over and so we all got to go home early (there was talk of playing some friendly cricket to give everyone a bit of a go but that prospect evaporated).
It was a complete performance in the field, with nothing missed or dropped (apart from a tough chance to Leo off Gregory’s bowling), good chatter, and excellent straight bowling. It put us temporarily top of the table, partly by virtue of having played more games. A tougher test awaits next week away at Timperley.
A final shout out to the dog owner who repeatedly let their dog run onto the cricket field during the action, as well as the two boys who, when asked to go round the field, went more directly over it and kicked the covers at the end. With small children milling on the boundary edge, it all had definite vibes of Green Lane on a Friday night.
Friday 12th June 2026: South Manchester U13s league T20 (Division 1)
Heaton Mersey U13s 133/8 (20) beat Bramhall Bulldogs 115/4 (20) by 18 runs (Scorecard)
It was a solid victory against Bramhall in the Cheshire League match. Captain Sam lost the toss and the visitors decided to bowl first on a green, moist pitch at Green Lane, which the batters found a little tricky. Mersey made a solid start, but a flurry of wickets left them at 42/4 in the ninth over. Enter Felix.
From the off, Felix played with calm, assured strokeplay echoing innings of yesteryear, with a flurry of superb drives and cuts accelerating the scoring rate as the home side piled on the runs. Despite losing Shazil, the runs continued to flow with Zayaan looking in good touch. Felix retired not out on 31 (off 20 balls).
Leo then came to the crease and batted aggressively from the off, with his trademark sweeps and low pull shots scattering the field. Mersey then lost some quick wickets in the final over as they pushed hard for runs. Leo and Zayaan scored 23 (off 19 balls) and 19 (off 23 balls) respectively and batted with real intent as a partnership. The home side finishing on an imposing 133/8 off 20 overs; however, the pitch and outfield were drying out quickly and batting would be much easier in the 2nd innings.
Shazil struck in the first over, with Adam taking a superb catch at cover (I might trademark that phrase now). Bramhall then consolidated as their best batters (especially Albert Routley) played with aggressiveness as they pushed hard for runs albeit taking risks at the same time (Mersey missed some run out chances).
At one point, Leo claimed a stumping but the square leg umpire was not entirely focused on the game at the right time and, having admitted not seeing what had happened, raised the finger, to the derision of the away side’s parents. This decision was subsequently retracted, in part due to the insistence of Sam the captain that the batter stayed in.
Mersey kept the scoring rate down though and the away side were always behind the required rate. It got a little bit nervy on the sidelines as they were running out bowlers. Captain Sam brought himself on for a third over and got hit for four, but regained control. Then a couple of late wickets sealed the match as the away side ran out of batting depth finishing on 115/4.
Mersey won the match with a solid display against a good Bramhall side. The pink match ball was by Captain Sam / Vice-Captain Shazil to Felix for his classy unbeaten knock of 31*.
Areas for improvement – Improve energy levels for Sunday morning games. Louder and clearer calling during batting.
