A win apiece for the U9s and U10s teams kept the momentum for Heaton Mersey up in the third week.
Monday 8th May: Heaton Mersey U10 vs Langley U11 Dragons abandoned – Cheshire league (Scorecard)
Alas the poor weather was the winner on a damp Coronation bank holiday Monday.
Tuesday 9th May: Bowdon U11 234 (90/14 off 20) lost to Heaton Mersey U11 267 (95/7 off 20) by 33 runs – Cheshire league (Scorecard)
The under 11s recorded a good victory over Bowdon in the Cheshire League pairs competition. Spurred on by some great batting from Finn and Owen, Heaton Mersey posted a competitive score of 267. Seamus and Lewis provided a good start to our bowling performance, keeping the opening pair in check. However, some lusty blows soon got Bowdon ahead of the required run rate.
The balance of the game was turned in our favour as seven wickets fell in the next partnership all to the bowling of Ismail and Yakub. Everything to play for in this league as Bowdon fell to their first loss.
Friday 12th May: Bramhall U11s 261 (93/8 off 16) lost to Heaton Mersey U10s 267 (107/10 off 16) by 6 runs – High Peak league (Scorecard)
Bramhall won the toss and elected to field in this away game. On a green-looking pitch, Mersey struggled for runs and lost wickets at regular intervals. Felix top scored with 19. The net score of 267 looked 20 runs short as Bramhall's slow bowlers caused Mersey's batters a few problems.
Mersey bowled well at the start of Bramhall's innings with debutant, Maya, taking three wickets. Bramhall then accelerated with their second batting pair and were well ahead of the target at the halfway stage. With four overs left, Bramhall only needed four to win and defeat looked inevitable for Mersey.
But Adam's first over changed the match as he bowled a double wicket maiden, including a run out by Harrison. Felix then bowled a superb over and the scoring rate decreased rapidly. Mersey scented blood and with the fielders moving in and the chat increasing in volume, Adam and Felix then bowled the remaining two overs with pace and accuracy to pull off a remarkable win.
Full credit to this team who kept on trying and fielded superbly, both ground fielding and catching. Well done to the players who were playing their first hard ball game: Ibby, Aman and especially Maya who had a superb all-round game.
Friday 12th May: Hyde U9s 262 (83/7 off 16) lost to Heaton Mersey U9s 289 (98/3 off 16) by 27 runs – Cheshire league (Scorecard)
We were quorate at Hyde on a chilly Friday evening but had to wait for the start as the opposition team had not fully arrived – clearly a strategy to get the away team cold! Hyde won the toss and chose to bowl first, although Mersey’s captain (I can’t remember who I chose!) would have batted first anyway.
Heaton Mersey found the going tough at first on an artificial pitch with spongy bounce. George and Gillespie struggled to get many runs off the bat but only lost one wicket. Gregory and Huzaifah also struggled at first as the bowling was tight, but Gregory found an outlet in the 7th over, hitting three fours through fine leg, before a 6 in the next over (2 runs plus 4 overthrows) got Mersey on the move.
Joe and Jesse ran well between the wickets, including another 4 overthrows giving Joe a 5, and Jesse hit three fours, taking advantage of the fast outfield at square leg. James and Max, who specifically asked to be paired together, continued their excellent running from the Cheadle match. They put on an impressive 30 runs together, pipping Joe and Jesse’s net 29 runs. That put us at 98/3, equivalent to 289, our highest score of the season.
Our bowling and fielding were tight from the start, with Gillespie and George taking three wickets between them. This continued through the team, with Gregory, Jesse, Joe and Max taking wickets, including another run out for Gregory. The result was never really in doubt, despite a late flurry of runs from one of their batsmen (against whom Max gained revenge for being hit for two fours by getting him out).
The moment of the match, however, was very clearly George’s amazing catch, diving forward and scooping it inches from the ground, before rolling over and clutching it to his chest. An impressive win for Heaton Mersey.
Sunday 14th May: Heaton Mersey 84/7 (20) lost to Urmston 86/2 (11.1) by 8 wickets – South Manchester league (Scorecard)
The U11 Academy team came up against tough opposition in Urmston. Tom Sinclair and Aiden Fuller both got 16 and Harry Haynes was the pick with 25 off 23 balls (retired out). That got the team off to a solid start. However, Heaton Mersey lost wickets consistently after that, posting a modest 84 off their 20 overs. Urmston wasted no time in chasing down the target, however, knocking off the runs after just over half their overs. A mention for Stan Wall, an U10 player who claimed a wicket in his only over.
A pic of the U9s team (vs NECCC) from the following week but who's checking!
