After a week 5 break for half-term, it was (initially) back to winning ways for the U12s side, winning five matches (including an extremely dramatic finish) with one abandoned, but the fortnight ended with two defeats as the schedule came back with a vengeance.
Wednesday 4th June 2025: Heaton Mersey Phoenix 89/6 (16.2) beat Bramhall Bees 86 all out (17.2) by 4 wickets – High Peak T20 league (Scorecard)
Another victory this evening for Mersey against the Bramhall Bees.
After losing another toss, the away side decided to bat first on a green-looking pitch. Although Bramhall initially scored quickly, the home side bowled well and took wickets at regular intervals. Three quick wickets then fell as Mersey snared two run-outs and slowed the scoring rate down.
Seven bowlers took wickets as Mersey put in a good all-round performance in the field, despite three dropped catches. The away side were bowled out for 86 in the 18th over.
The home side batted well initially against a pacy opening attack reaching 33 before the first wicket fell. Younus then came and hit some lovely boundaries before falling to a great catch. Three quick wickets fell during the 10th and 11th overs and Mersey looked hesitant with their running between the wickets, despite the modest total. Naeem and Adam then batted sensibly and guided the home team to victory in the 17th over and win by 4 wickets.
Thanks to everyone who helped during this evening’s match and for the families who supported the team. It was a real team effort
Friday 6th June 2025: Heaton Mersey Phoenix 8/2 (2.1) drew with Brooklands 114/8 (20) – match abandoned due to rain – South Manchester T20 league (Scorecard)
Highlights for me tonight were Harrison on a hat-trick and Arjo's direct hit run out. Brooklands batted in great conditions, and we started batting in the rain and the dark. No chance of a fair finish.
Boys did really well tonight, dug in on the bowling against a good batting team and had plenty of good batters left for the chase in poor conditions.
Monday 9th June 2025: Stockport Trinity Topcats 81/9 (16.5) lost to Heaton Mersey Phoenix 82/6 (20) by 4 wickets – High Peak T20 league (Scorecard)
A slender win for the Mersey team this evening against the Stockport Trinity Topcats.
The home team won the toss and put Mersey into bat on a lush, green wicket with plenty of moisture about. We all prayed that the rain stayed away as dark clouds loomed overhead. Mersey struggled initially, losing two quick wickets against quick, accurate bowling and very sharp fielding by the home side. Harrison and Sam steadied the ship with a partnership of 31 runs.
Harrison then continued to bat the conditions well, retiring on 25*; at this point Mersey were 55/3 and looking at a solid score of 90-100 on a tricky pitch. But the home side turned the screw and restricted Mersey to the odd single and extra as they bowled gun-barrel straight and restricted scoring opportunities. A late flurry of runs by Zayaan resulted in Mersey finishing on 82/6 after 20 overs. This looked like a below par score by 15-20 runs.
The home side batted confidently to begin with as they accumulated runs at an excellent rate and, despite losing one of their openers to Sam, looked set for a comfortable victory. With the score on 70 for 1 in the 13th over and only needing 13 runs to win, the match took a dramatic turn. Stan bowled the other opener out to expose the remaining batters. Then Arjo, for the 2nd match running, scored a direct run-out with a superb throw.
Harrison then cleaned bowled two more batters in a superb over (replicating his 2nd over v Brooklands last Friday). After Zayaan and Joe kept it tight with two frugal overs, Will then stepped up and clean bowled two more batters as the home side crumbled during a fabulous over. Harrison then delivered the coup-de-gras with a fantastic runout and the match was over. Mersey had won by 1 run in a breathtaking end to the contest.
Harrison was magnificent throughout game and Will’s bowling in the final and crucial over was superb. There was excellent fielding as well by Joe in the deep and by Tom who kept well under pressure towards the end of the match. Thanks to the families who came along to cheer the team in the damp conditions. We could not believe what we were watching at the end, and this team/squad never know when they are beaten!! Just five more matches this week. We can then all have a rest and a well-earned beverage.
Tuesday 10th June 2025: Heaton Mersey Phoenix 111/3 (20) beat Bramhall Bulldogs 68 all out (18.1) by 43 runs – High Peak T20 league (Scorecard)
An excellent win for Mersey against a talented young team from Bramhall.
The away team lost the toss and new captain, Shazil, decided to bat first on the artificial pitch at the Harwood Road. On a warm and sunny evening, Mersey batted carefully against a good opening attack and accumulated runs at a steady rate. Good rotation of the strike was a feature between Shazil and Sam, and the pair reached 33 runs before Shazil was out lbw (hitting his back leg). Sam continued his good batting and retired on 25.
Despite losing Felix before he got himself in, Younus and Isaac then plundered the attack and with Isaac running and calling exceptionally well (and talking a lot to me). Both players retired on not out scores; Younus on 25 including a humongous 6 and Isaac retiring not out on 28 with some lovely strokeplay and regularly finding the gaps. Some quick running by the final batters brought Mersey up to a decent total of 111, losing only 3 wickets. The main learning lesson was some players struggled to judge when to run and were a bit cautious.
After a quick break, Shazil decided to put himself on first and immediately took a wicket in his first over, causing the batters lots of problems with his slippery pace and movement. The away side were technically good batters and Mersey earned every wicket. Mersey then took complete control of the game with another five wickets before the score reached 20.
There was excellent bowling all round, with tight fielding, and great vocal support from all. Two run-outs with Billy’s keeping to the fore helped the cause as the away side’s confidence visibly drained. There was a bit of resistance as the bowling changes ensured that everyone bowled, a highlight being Puneeth bowling an excellent two-over spell and taking his first wicket for the club.
The best bowling was from George with a sparkling 3 for 6 off two overs, and there wickets for Shazil, Felix, Zayaan and Puneeth. Stan then sealed the victory with a customary laser throw from backward point to shatter the stumps and break the away side’s late stubborn resistance.
A fine all-round performance in the field against a particularly good young Bramhall team (one to watch in the future). The team were in great form throughout the match and seemed to really enjoy the games.
Wednesday 11th June 2025: Heaton Mersey Phoenix 92/5 (20) beat Didsbury Bears 70 all out (20) by 22 runs – High Peak T20 league (Scorecard)
Another convincing win to move us 12 points clear in our High Peak league and within touching distance of another semi-final. After finally winning the toss, Captain Isaac chose to bat on a two-paced green pitch. With the outfield also slow and the bowling accurate, Harrison and Joseph were able to negate the new ball and then move through the gears with excellent retirements. Joseph smashed a full toss for a huge six.
We didn't lose a wicket until we were on 68 as the boys tried to press on and get us up to 100. Stan, with a well-judged 13, was the other player to reach double figures. 92 felt around par, but we knew we'd have to bowl and field well to get the win. As has become the norm, Shazil bowled the perfect 1st over with a wicket maiden, pitching the ball just fractionally off a good length and making the batters play everything.
A superb yorker from Gregory took out the dangerous opener, and from then, superb bowling, fielding, and encouragement meant Didsbury was always off the pace. A wicket each for 7 bowlers and 2 for Adam as all the bowlers restricted runs. The highlight was Billy taking a great catch when having to change direction after the back of the bat was hit. Thanks to Tim for umpiring and Paul for scoring.
Thursday 12th June 2025: Middlewich lost to Heaton Mersey Phoenix 168/2 (20) by x runs – U12 John North Cup Round 2 (Scorecard)
This was a resounding win for Mersey in this 2nd round U12 cup game away to Middlewich.
At the picturesque Middlewich ground, captain Sam won the toss and decided to bat on a good-looking pitch with a large outfield. The rain from earlier on had thankfully cleared. From the onset, openers Harrison and Isaac batted with real intent, running everything that they could and putting pressure on the home team. The scoring rate was rapid and the opening stand reached 42 during the 4th over when Isaac fell after he had reached 15, which included a couple of trademark punchy shots for 4.
Harrison looked comfortable and the rapid scoring rate continued as Sam came in and the superb running and calling continued as the pair made batting look easy. Harrison looked set for a well-deserved 30 not out when he was judged to be run out off a free hit (I could hear him chuntering as he walked off); the pair putting on 53 off only 6.2 overs.
Adam, who had been itching to get on, then came in and looked good from the off, reprising his great early season form. Sam retired on 30 not out and Stan nonchalantly walked into bat. The pair then batted superbly, rotating the strike well and continuing the high scoring rate, with Stan hitting some stylish drives and square shots, and Adam hitting explosive straight drives, one of which smashed into Stan’s toes (ouch !!).
The pair put on 61 off 6.9 overs, mixing silk and steel, before Adam retired on 30 not out. Zayaan then joined Stan at the crease. The innings then finished with Zayaan hitting a lofted cover drive for 4 off the last ball. Stan finishing on a majestic 24 not out and Zayaan 5 not out.
This was a near faultless batting performance from Mersey as they finished in 168/2 off their 20 overs.
The home side then started their batting innings and Joe produced a scintillating first over as he took two wickets with accurate, quick bowling as every ball posed a threat to the batters. The carnage continued as Isaac took a wicket with his first ball. Naeem then produced a stunning first over, with two batters clean bowled in successive deliveries leaving the home side shell-shocked on 5/5.
The home side then dug in until Harrison produced a trademark delivery, hitting the top of off stump, leaving the score at 17/6. The score reached 34/6 when Stan, bowling off a shorter run-up, took two wickets in his first over. The home side then decided to go for it and rallied with some aggressive batting as some of the energy in field from Mersey decreased and the bowling length became too short and wide. (It was also their star batsman batting way down the order.) Up stepped Zayaan to take the final wicket leaving home side all out for 86 runs.
A wonderful performance from Mersey and it is the quarter final up next (opponents and date TBC). The home side showed the match via a livestream.
Friday 13th June 2025: Heaton Mersey Phoenix 120 all out (18.5) lost to Toft 149/4 (20) by 29 runs – High Peak T20 league (Scorecard)
A tough defeat for a relatively inexperienced Mersey side against a strong Toft 11. Winning the toss and batting on a warm evening, Toft went about building a large score with good running and sensible hitting. The combination of the heat and tiredness after a busy week meant the boys struggled under pressure in the field
The first wicket didn't fall until 112 on the board, and with 6 dropped catches and several missed run outs, Toft was allowed to score around 40 over par. There were wickets for Leo, Arjo, and Sam, with another stunning catch from Adam. An early wicket put the boys under pressure, but Adam, retiring on 32, and Shazil, with 29, got us back in with an outside chance. Unfortunately, only Stan with 15 made a meaningful contribution after this, and Toft won comfortably in the end, by 29 runs.
