Monday 22nd May – Timperley U11 270 (114/11 off 20) lost to Heaton Mersey 275 U11 (115/10 off 20) by 5 runs – Cheshire league (Scorecard)
Well, what an exciting finish! Timperley needed 3 to win and 2 to tie off the final ball, but they were run out going for the second run! Our batting got off to a great start from Harry; Owen continued to provide some good momentum; Elliott played tidily in his debut and we reached to 275. In the bowling Darcy took 3 wickets; Yakub bowled nice and tightly; Lewis bowled some very quick balls; Stanley bravely came back on the field to bowl after being hit on the head; Lucasz took a couple of vital wickets in the last pair; Finn kept everyone going in the field; Seamus kept his cool in the last over and Owen completed the run out for an excellent and exciting team win!
Monday 22nd May – Romiley U9 306 (112/2 off 16) beat Heaton Mersey U8 263 (75/4 off 16) by 43 runs – High Peak league (Scorecard)
Mersey won the toss and chose to bat first. We had six players playing their first match!
It was the same format of batting in pairs. Although we sadly lost, there was some great cricket and good experience for the kids going forward.
Romiley had some lovely strong bowlers. There was great batting from captain Tom, Leo and Luke in his first game making 7 off 8 balls! Highlights were lots of communication and encouragement to each other. We've lots to learn in the field, such as throwing to the stumps and backing up so we'll focus on that in coming Fridays.
Player of the match was Seb for his bowling, communication and enthusiasm. Thank you so much to Steve for his umpiring debut and to Alice and David for scoring.
Wednesday 24th May – Heaton Mersey U10 271 (95/6 off 16) lost to Cheadle Hulme Ladybridge 312 (136/6 off 16) by 41 runs – High Peak league (Scorecard)
A tough defeat but a really great effort from the boys against a much older and stronger team. Bowling first, the boys were sleepy in the field but Stan, Aahil, Karam, Tom (with two) and Felix all took wickets against technically excellent batters.
The batting was superb though against hostile bowling in dark conditions when we replied. Stan and Aahil actually got us ahead with an opening stand of 29 with 5 boundaries. Then the boys focused on protecting their wickets, with Owen strong in defence. A late flurry of boundaries from Felix and Isaac E got the score respectable. A tough lesson learnt from the boys tonight but these results will happen this season.
Thursday 25th May – Heaton Mersey U10 278 (110/8 off 20) lost to North East Cheshire U11 303 (151/12 off 20) – Cheshire league (Scorecard)
A tough Cheshire League encounter last night. A defeat by 25 runs against a mixed NECCC team, a combination of very good u11 (year 6) boys and very good u13 (year 8) girls. Always likely then to be a challenge, facing an opposition with more hardball experience, power, and in-game know how. NECCC batted first, with their batters scoring consistently – as always, the bowling attack for Mersey was strong, 11 wickets with some great bowling and amazing catching to offset the run total of 147 by 44, and give a net score of 303 to chase.
Wickets for Isaac, Stan, Maya, Albert, Arjo, Adam, Zayaan, and Felix, acrobatic fielding and great catches from Harrison and James. When Mersey came in to bat, that game know how and hardball experience from the opposition showed in the field – the bowling was consistent and high quality, but the fielding was the differentiating factor with quick throwing leading to run outs, and a strong outfield restricting boundaries, which meant that total was a stretch too far for the Mersey u10 girl and boys, despite double figures for Isaac, Harrison and Felix.
The team should be proud nevertheless of their courageous performance. Well done to all the team for stepping up and facing aggressive bowling from older stronger players – it was a real hardball lesson and another step along the learning curve, as well as experiencing first-hand how sharper fielding can make a difference.
Friday 26th May – Stockport U9 237 (70/11 off 16) lost to Heaton Mersey U9 269 (84/5 off 16) by 32 runs – High Peak League (Scorecard)
Stockport won the toss and bowled first, with the grand pavilion as our backdrop. Harley and Huzaifah opened the batting and, after a slow start on a tricky artificial strip, picked up the pace, helped by a couple of boundaries by Huzaifah. They scored 24 for the loss of two wickets. James and Joe then put on a strong batting and running performance, benefiting from a number of overthrows on top which added to their boundary count, and they contributed an impressive 28 runs without losing a wicket.
Gregory and Jesse faced some strong bowling, but still managed 12 runs whilst losing two wickets, with a four from Gregory helping. Zane and Finlay finished the innings solidly, scoring 19 runs between them for the loss of just one wicket. Joe and Huzaifah ended up as top scorers, as Heaton Mersey posted 84/5, equivalent to a net score of 269, which was a strong total.
Harley led the attack, getting a wicket in both his overs and, whilst Huzaifah went for a lot of runs in his first over, he came back well to get two wickets in his next over, and already Stockport had fallen behind the run rate. James bowled a brilliantly tight spell, including a wicket in his first over and a rare maiden for his second.
Enter Gregory. In a blistering spell, bowling with accuracy against a right-hand/left-hand combination, getting movement of the pitch and landing it on a perfect length, he hit the stumps five times in his two overs. The poor batsmen did not know what to do (even asking me what they could do, to which I had no answer). A hat-trick was denied, and Gregory even managed to get a genuine nick through to the keeper, but it was fizzing so fast that Jesse could not hold on.
That left Stockport with far too much to do and, despite some lower order hitting, Zane and Finlay bowled with enough control to keep a lid on things, with Finlay taking a wicket. At some point in the match, James took an assured catch from a shot that looped up quite high. The great performance in the field was all the more impressive given the continual distraction from the music blaring out from a function in the pavilion, which had the Mersey team spasmodically gyrating and giggling at each other. An umpire-coach’s dream.
In the end, Stockport finished on 70/11, equivalent to a net score of 237, and Heaton Mersey won by 32 runs. The match was played in great spirit by both teams, and the away side go marching on with their fourth win in four.
Sunday 28th May - Whalley Range U11 94/2 (16.2) beat Heaton Mersey U11 92 all out (19.4) by 8 wickets – South Manchester league (Scorecard)
Batting first, U10s Tom Sinclair and Harrison Holmes got Heaton Mersey off to a solid start, putting on 26 for the first wicket and ultimately Tom retired on 25 off 24 balls. Unfortunately the team then lost wickets regularly, with U10 Adam Hayes the major contributor, retiring on 25 off 28 balls. They ended up 92 all out in the last over.
Whalley Range showed batting prowess in response, with their top three all passing 20, and they chased down the target with nearly 4 overs to spare. A special mention goes to Harrison Holmes, who took a wicket and conceded no runs in his two overs. A tough defeat not helped by only having 6 academy players available.
Pic: Heaton Mersey U10s against Cheadle Hulme Ladybridge
