Heaton Mersey Cricket Club

U12s/U13s – weeks 14 & 15 – match summaries

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 20:25:00 +0000

After the excitement of the previous week, it was time to move into the summer cup part of the season.

Tuesday 21^st July 2026: High Peak U13s summer competition T20 (Group B)

Woodford 79 all out (13.

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.

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.

However, George settled nerves with a tight over, including the key wicket of one of the openers (an exceptional catch diving forward from Shawaiz).

Batting was definitely the strong aspect of this performance.



Friday 24^th July 2026: South Manchester U13s summer cup T20 (Group C)

Heaton Mersey U13s 145/3 (20) beat Macclesfield 117/4 (20) by 28 runs (

The Under 13s got their South Manchester Cup group matches underway with a home game against Macclesfield on Friday night.

Captain Zayaan won the toss and elected to have a bat on a flat-looking track.

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.

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.

The match was sadly disrupted a few times due to injury.

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.

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.



Monday 27^th July 2026: High Peak U13s summer competition T20 (Group B)

Stockport Trinity 122/8 (20) lost to Heaton Mersey Magic 125/3 (17.

It was a pleasant summer evening as the High Peak summer cup competition continued.

A mix-up early on saw Trinity lose an opener to a calm direct throw at the stumps from Arjo.

Half the team were already up celebrating.

However, spirited resistance followed, despite Magic throwing everything they had at the doughty young batsmen.

What was to follow was extraordinary.

Mersey sent out openers Thomas and Sam W with a target of 123 to chase.

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.



Tuesday 28^th July 2026: High Peak U13s summer competition T20 (Group C)

Heaton Mersey Phoenix 96 all out (18.

It was a defeat for Phoenix in the High Peak summer cup encounter against Cheadle’s strongest side.

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, Billy was out off the first ball of the 10^th 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).

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.

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.

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).

Areas for improvement – back to batting fundamentals of defending good/straight deliveries and scoring singles to rotate the strike.



Friday 31^st July 2026: South Manchester U13s league T20 (Division 1)

Hale Barns 73 all out (16.

It was a comprehensive win for Mersey in the South Manchester summer cup clash away at Hale Barns.

Mersey were fielding a ‘High Peak’ style of team, mixing U13s and U12s and an U11 debutant (Seb B).

Shawaiz then perished after a partnership of 32 runs.

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).

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.

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!

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.

It was a fantastic win for Mersey in one of the best and most complete performances of the season.

Areas for improvement – little in this match, so I will not bother, ha ha ha.



It’s the business end of the season (before the summer cups start) and it’s big match after big match, with one semi-final and two finals.



Tuesday 14^th July 2026: High Peak U13s league T20 (Semi-final)

Heaton Mersey Phoenix 148/4 (20) beat Heaton Mersey Magic 112 all out (18.

It was a fixture steeped in history, due to the success of the two age groups.

Then, in 2024, Magic and Phoenix (a relatively even mixture of U10s and U11s) met in the High Peak main competition semi-finals.
In 2025, a group fixture in the High Peak league between the two ended in a

And so we come to 2026, in a situation mirroring the 2024 match-up.

After a long spell of sunshine with little rain, the pitch and outfield were baked brown, with the former playing reasonably true and the latter acting like glass.

Isaac bowled an accurate spell (including one which pinned Billy in front, which I gave a warning for but did not give LBW, in line with typical High Peak practice), at least until Evan carved him for two fours to the point boundary in his second over, but George struck in his first (the second overall) as Shawaiz top edged a full toss high in the air, giving George time to sprint and dive, taking a fine catch off his own bowling not far from where the batter was still standing.

Evan continued to step away and play through the offside to good effect, while Billy favoured bludgeoning to the legside.

Scoring was very solid but not spectacular, as Phoenix reached 37/1 after 5 overs.

Billy soon retired, hitting his last ball for four to retire on 28 off 25 balls, then Will joined the party, exchanging fours with Stan, including a defensive shot from Will which raced away for four on the rapid outfield.

Paddy came into the attack as I denied Younus’ regular pleas to bowl some of his stronger bowlers for a third over.

Harry kept it tight then Tom B found a yorker length to dismiss Tom R, but Ollie M and Puneeth kept the scoreboard ticking over to finish 20 not out off 18 and 18 not out off 19 respectively.

Magic needed to start well, but Stan found an excellent full length in the second over to bowl Isaac.

But Arjo retired with a classy 26 off 25 balls then Puneeth bowled Younus (for a well-made 18) as he tried to up the scoring rate (with Sam H, not playing in this match, asking him why he hadn’t hit a six).

But Huzaifah outfoxed the middle order, as Finn chipped him to Puneeth before he bowled Harry first ball.

With Ollie M bowling spin in the penultimate over, George’s eyes lit up and he hit an enormous shot to midwicket, which was heading for a six before Puneeth reached up and plucked it out of the air.

The margin of victory was 36 runs, which was very respectable, and Phoenix marched onto the final to play Romiley (who beat Cheadle a couple of days later).

The match spirit between the two teams was great and there was lots of gentle banter where players who were normally teammates were going up against each other.



Friday 17^th July 2026: Cheshire Vitality T20 U13 Club Cup (Final)

Heaton Mersey 110 all out (19.

In a superb final at Green Lane, Mersey lost to a strong Oxton U13 side (containing 5 first choice Cheshire U13 players) by 33 runs.

On a hot and sunny evening in Heaton Moor, Oxton won the toss and decided to bat first on a new pitch which looked like it would be a true test of skills, with the ball expected to zip through with plenty of pace and carry.

The away side hit multiple boundaries as they reached an imposing 77/0 after only 5 overs, with both of their opening (Cheshire) batters punishing any balls off line or length (one opener retired with 35 off just 15 balls – as of editing in mid-August, he has scored nearly 1,600 runs – staggering but a sign of what we were up against).

Shawaiz struck first with a neat catch by Felix in the 9^th over.

Adam took a well-deserved two wickets in the 18^th over to peg back the visitors.

The independent umpires generally took their time throughout the match, discussing things regularly and switching ends every over.

Mersey started their batting innings steadily as the visitors’ pace attack restricted scoring opportunities.

Adam and Shawaiz then hit some meaty boundaries before getting out to excellent bowling.

Younus joined Felix at the crease as Mersey had their best period of batting.

Younus was next out for 18 (off only 12 balls).

A fighting performance from Mersey was not enough against a strong Oxton team who lived up to their billing as pre-match favourites.

The pink match ball was awarded by captain Stan / vice-captain Sam to Adam for his superb spell of fast bowling.

Areas for improvement – better field settings when the opposition batters are on top to restrict scoring opportunities.



Sunday 19^th July 2026: High Peak U13s league T20 (Final)

Heaton Mersey Phoenix 79/6 (20 tied with Romiley Typhoon 79 all out (18.

Another year, another High Peak final, and our Phoenix team were up against a strong Romiley side, who had laid waste to all in their path in the other division (except Magic: their match was cancelled due to a waterlogged pitch and the opposition had no appetite to reschedule it seemed), with a positive net run rate of 3.

The U13s final was being held at Bredbury’s ground, which we knew from a group stage match a week or two before was home to a pitch that was more akin to crazy paving than a traditional strip.

We had a strong team out, but were missing Adam H and Jake from the top of our batting order and as “hit the deck” bowlers.

Romiley won the toss and elected to bowl, rightfully seeing how we could handle the cracked pitch first.

Stan was bowled in the 9^th over with the score on 36, before a controversial moment in the 9^th over.

Realising what was happening, he sprinted to the non-striker’s end, but not before the catching fielder threw down the stumps with a direct hit (a good shot from a distance).

After not scoring off the rest of the over, Naeem attempted to inject some positivity by hitting a four in the next over, as well as surviving a dropped catch from a big top edge, with others dropping into gaps.

Puneeth started positively but second ball was the victim of a horrible grubber, which clung to the floor and crashed into the stumps.

The innings was threatening to grind to a halt but, in the last over, Will hit a beautifully-timed cover drive while Ollie hit the last ball of the innings over midwicket for four, scraping us to 79/6 off the 20 overs, setting a target of 80.

We needed to bowl and field well, as we emphasized the need to bowl wicket to wicket and let the pitch do the work.

Naeem, however, utilised the unpredictable bounce by digging one in and getting a steepling top edge from the tall opener, coolly caught by Shazil.

In the 6^th over, Will induced a mishit from their opener, but Shawaiz could not hold on to a relatively easy chance, then added injury to insult by attempting a run-out but succeeding only in throwing the ball at Will’s shin, who hopped around in pain.

We suggested to captain Shawaiz that Stan should bowl first up on the change around given he was yet to bowl, although that backfired a bit when he was hit for two fours.

Stan then bowled an excellent maiden against their other Cheshire district batter (the opener), which set up Gregory’s full ball in the next over, against which he tried to play a bit more expansively but succeeded only in losing his leg stump.

The score was 70/5 and the fielding side’s decibels were increasing by the over.

With Gregory and Stan both effectively bowled out, Will came back into the attack and the batter clipped him airily through midwicket but crucially in the gap to find the boundary, reducing the runs required from 10 to 6, but he got his revenge by bowling the batter next ball.

A leg bye got them to 75 but Sam H found an excellent length to bamboozle the batter with the first ball of his over.

Realising that bowling full pace was high risk, Shazil came back into the attack, bowling from about five paces.

Shazil kept it tight for the rest of the over, before captain Shawaiz brought himself back on.

Mersey celebrated as Romiley were crestfallen at having let it slip through their grasp.

Both teams were keen on a super over to decide the winner, but the coaches, mentally shattered and calmly pointing out that the rules did not allow for one, agreed to share the trophy so that both teams were winners.
Trophy time!



Authors denoted by the initials; all match reports (sub-)edited by PA.

U12s/U13s – week 12 – match summaries

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 19:08:00 +0000

There were a couple of close defeats but five key wins as progress to the High Peak semi-finals for both the Magic and Phoenix teams, and to the Cheshire Club Cup final for the U13s, were secured.

Monday 6^th July 2026: High Peak U13s league T20 (Division Dean)

Stockport Trinity 79 all out (15.

It was a big week for Magic as they had three matches in four days, the results of which would determine whether they would make the High Peak final.

Arjo took a bit longer to get going, but hit a six then a back-to-back four and six to retire on 25 off 37 balls.

Trinity made a strong start, despite Charlie bowling one of their openers in the second over, as they reached 51/1 after 6 overs, with their star batter with a breezy 30 runs off 16 balls.

Magic continued to target the stumps, with Leo (twice), Lucas and Arjo all hitting them, while Finn claimed a third, caught behind by Sam W, to finish with the amazing figures of 2-1-2-3.

Anna, who was present, noted later that “Magic were brilliant tonight.



Tuesday 7^th July 2026: High Peak U13s league T20 (Division Bollin)

Bredbury St Marks 43 all out (15.

It was a comfortable win for the U13s last evening against a young and inexperienced team at the bucolic ground in Bredbury.

From the outset, Mersey batted with authority, power and great intent.

Evan was then joined at the crease by Tom R and immediately Tom hit a couple of superb leg-side fours.

The home side started breezily, with one of their openers hitting some pleasant fours before Adam S struck with his loopy leg spin.

Wickets then fell regularly as the home side struggled to get the ball off the square.

It was a very easy win for Mersey to seal top spot in the league, guaranteeing them a home semi-final.

Areas for improvement – not much to say as the opposition were no match for Mersey on the day.



Wednesday 8^th July 2026: High Peak U13s league T20 (Division Dean)

Woodford 85 all out (17.

Another day, another away match, and Magic followed the same formula with captain Thomas L winning the toss and electing to bat.

Leo came in next and kept the tempo going, hitting five fours and retiring on 27 off 24 balls.

In a similar manner to the Trinity match, the home side started strongly, reaching 36 at the end of the 5^th over, before Harry recovered well from being hit for three fours by having one of the openers caught.

With both openers gone, Magic went in for the kill, with Thomas getting a wicket, bowled, in the 11^th over.

That win, alongside other group results, meant that Magic had qualified for the semi-final a game early.



Thursday 9^th July 2026: High Peak U13s league T20 (Division Bollin)

Heaton Mersey Phoenix 77 all out (14.

It was a narrow defeat for Phoenix in the final league match, as we went a bit topsy turvy with the batting order given we were already guaranteed first place.

The visitors started well, with their opening bowler getting a wicket maiden in his first over.

With Adam defending stoutly, Stan played his best innings of the season to retire on 28* (off 14 balls), including 6 fours.

Jake was then caught behind and the final batting pair of Shazil and Naeem came out.

The away side got off to a difficult start as Shazil got his usual wickets in over 1.

With Naeem nursing his injured toes and unable to bowl fast, Mersey rotated the bowling resources, but the away side keep up the scoring rate.

The visitors then need 7 off the final over to win.

It was a well-merited win for Macclesfield who bowled straight and fielded with lots of effort.

Areas for improvement – the main one today was the lack of clear calling when running quick singles.



Thursday 9^th July 2026: High Peak U13s league T20 (Division Dean)

Hawk Green 93 all out (15.

For the third time in three matches, Magic (via captain Finn) won the toss and elected to bat.

Thomas C started positively, hitting two fours in the second over, but then Finn and George fell in the space of three balls to put Magic on the back foot.

Magic then struggled to up the scoring, despite Lloyd and Omar hitting a boundary each and Sam W hitting two.

George struck in the second over, bowling one of the openers, but otherwise the hosts accumulated well, reaching 27/1 after five overs.

Harry kept Magic in it, getting a caught behind to Sam W and Lloyd bowled a tight over, before Charlie also struck by hitting the stumps.

Thomas L had other ideas, bowling their batter off the first ball of his over.

After two convincing wins earlier in the week, it was a more typical tight Magic victory, finishing strongly in the field.



Friday 10^th July 2026: South Manchester U13s league T20 (Division 1)
Timperley Eagles 95/7 (20) beat Heaton Mersey U13s 94 all out (20) by 1 run (

It was a hard-fought match ended in the narrowest of losses for Mersey in this league match away at Timperley.

The toss was won by captain Arjo, who decided to bowl first on a new pitch for this encounter.

The scoring rate upped a tad, but Mersey fielded well in the scorching heat and managed to stop many of the home sides attacking shots.

Jake then returned for a 2^nd over and claimed another wicket with a pinpoint full delivery to smash the stumps of the Timperley batter.

The away side suffered an early blow as Shawaiz clothed one to mid-on in the 2^nd over.

The home sides leg spinner then snared Charlie just after the mid-innings drinks break.

Evan then Sam fell in quick succession.

It was an agonisingly close loss for Mersey, but the team fought superbly.

Mersey finished a creditable third in Division 1, with two very winnable games not played (either due to not having teams available or due to the weather).

Areas for improvement – very little to improve on this display apart from trying to stay cool in the last over.



Sunday 12^th July 2026: Cheshire Vitality T20 U13 Club Cup (Semi-final)

Timperley Lions 86/7 (20) lost to Heaton Mersey U13s 92/5 (20) by 6 runs (

An absorbing encounter in this semi-final clash saw Mersey victorious by 6 runs to progress through to the cup final.

Mersey won the toss, but after a comment from the home team’s players about their coach not being present at the toss, there was a re-toss of the coin which Mersey lost and the home side elected to bowl first.

Shawaiz started brightly, hitting some glorious straight/cover drives for 4 despite some excellent bowling from Timperley.

A late flourish of runs from Younus and Leo took Mersey to a total of 92/5 off their 20 overs.

Mersey started superbly with the ball as they reduced Timperley to 4/3 as Adam struck twice, bowling superbly, with Joseph clean bowling their #3 batter.

A tight finish looked a certainty, and this proved to be the case: the match reached the last over with the home side requiring 10 runs to win.

It was an excellent performance from Mersey in a tight game.

Areas for improvement – not much to improve as this was a high-quality match between two well-matched sides.



A run out as Tom calmly rolled the back to bowler Noah with both their batsmen at the striker's end

Tom had a great game behind the stumps

Captain Freddie, Seth, and Thomas led a great effort in the field.
There was also an outstanding chase down by Thomas which has also just come back to me, prooving to his mum he does like running (and I shouldn't rush the write-ups.
Wythenshawe posted 91 for 6 from their 20 overs.
We suffered an early run out for Ellis while I was on a comfort break (I heard the opposition 's cheer from the pavilion!
A great effort from the boys, matching our opponents at bowling and fielding, but coming short on our batting where those 2 or 3 innings of circa 20 win matches.
Thank you to Louis, Andrew, and AD for coaching, umpiring and scoring and our excellent parent and grandparent support.

20:20 vision for Mersey's Magic Boys

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 18:59:00 +0000

Heaton Mersey Magic (U10s) South Manchester League Summer Cup Match 1

So this was it, our first T20 game, versus Cheadle CC, under you're out you're out rules.
Ben and Freddie were our first gladiators into the arena.
There have been some great partnerships over the years, Morecambe and Wise, Torvill and Dean, Lennon and McCartney, Stokes and Leach, Cagney and Lacey, and now we can add Manning and Crockett to the pantheon.
7 overs later they were still there, with Tom having batted from over 5.
Hugo led the attack, keeping it tight before the captain claimed our first wicket in this format.
Cheadle had wickets in hand, but Ben and Freddie had had the time to plot their bowling come backs.
What a fantastic win.
Thank you to Louis, Huxx, Andrew and AD for marshalling the team, and Steven and Jacqueline for manning the scoreboard.
Moment of the match to T Crockett for his last ball 4 which got us our first "retired out" (you can't score more than 25 at this level), but he wouldn't have been there without the heroics of his partner Z Manning

The start of summer is here....

Thu, 23 Jul 2026 13:01:00 +0000

Heaton Mersey Magic (U10s) High Peak League Summer Cup Match 1

After a brief hiatus it was on to the smaller group summer cups and a familiar trip to Macclesfield, with our U9s also playing on the adjacent pitch (they won - well done Zack and Hugo for shifting over to help them out).
This was a game all about momentum, which basically means the "vibes" and energy each team is feeling.
Losing the (electronic) toss we were asked to bat first (bad vibes ).
That changed massively as George led a counterpunch for the ages, ably supported by Alex.
After an important (re) bowling warm-up, Macc got under way.
A late flurry of boundaries, including one off the last ball, and I thought we'd just lost.
A great way to start the summer competitions.
Moment of the match to Ben for you know what ^^^^^^^

Congratulations to them all!

Burgers tastier than Fries at Green Lane

Thu, 16 Jul 2026 12:56:00 +0000

Heaton Mersey Magic (U10s) Intrasquad

A fantastic game last night between 15 to 17 (lost count!
What a great game to be involved in.

U12s/U13s – week 11 – match summaries

Sun, 12 Jul 2026 19:32:00 +0000

After 8 games the previous week, it was back to a more mundane week, featuring three wins and a washout.



Monday 29^th June 2026: Cheshire Vitality T20 U13 Club Cup (Quarter final)

Heaton Mersey U13s 146/4 (20) beat Alderley Edge Wizards 36 all out (8.

A fantastic win for the U13s last evening against a good Alderley Edge team who were quite simply blown away by Mersey’s skill, power and intensity.

Shawaiz was joined at the crease by Harrison and the pair batted confidently – they defended straight balls and punished anything wide.

In the 13^th over, Felix hit a magnificent six to deep cover before holing out the next ball trying to repeat the shot.

Stan then upped the tempo with some excellent power hitting before being bowled by the 6ft Year 7 bowler.

The pitch looked a good one to bat one but sometimes looks can be deceptive….

Naeem splattered the wickets again with his fifth ball of the over as the pace cranked up even more.

Isaac was next up to bowl (after chatting to me constantly when I stood at square leg, ha ha) and struck with his final two balls of his first over, with Felix taking a catch at mid-off then another bowled victim.

Stan got in on the act as Sam pouched his 2^nd catch fielding at cover and Isacc polished off the innings with a 3rd wicket in the 9^th over.

Areas for improvement – just enjoy the win.



Thursday 2^nd July 2026: High Peak U13s league T20 (Division Bollin)
Heaton Mersey Phoenix 154/4 (20) beat Cheadle Hulme U12s 60 all out (15) by 94 runs (

It was a straightforward win against inexperienced opposition who were also a player short, so perhaps not the most equitable matchup.

There was a minor wobble the next over when Will and Greg were both out to the visitor’s most effective bowler, who may or may not have bowled an outside of regulation 4 overs in the match.

Back to the cricket, Adam S arrived at the crease with his sturdy defence, displaying all the qualities of Geoffrey Boycott opening a Test match.

Play Cricket back on course, we took to the field.

The visitors had lost 5 wickets for no runs in 5 overs.

The match ball was awarded by captain Shazil and vice-captain Gregory to Tom Rubie for his outstanding keeping, conceding just 1 bye in the whole innings, despite the extreme pace of some of our bowlers.



Friday 3^rd July 2026: South Manchester U13s league T20 (Division 1)

Heaton Mersey U13s 125/7 (20) beat Macclesfield 84 all out (17.

It was a glorious warm evening at the ‘Village’ for what turned out to be a comfortable win for Mersey.

Naeem (17) played some lovely shots, while valuable contributions from Stan (22) and Felix (22) helped keep the scoreboard moving.

Our bowling and fielding performance was probably our best of the season.

There were wickets for Naeem, Shawaiz, Albert, Isaac, Arjo and Reuben on debut.

Harrison was excellent behind the stumps on a lively, bouncy pitch, especially with many of the bowlers steaming in.

Positives: Team spirit was outstanding, vocal in field, and welcoming of Reuben who was making his debut (lovely to see he always had a smile on his face!

Room for improvement: Running between the wickets remains a key area.

With the ball, we also need to keep our lengths fuller.

Pink ball award: the match ball went to Arjo for his bowling contribution and excellent running at the death, adding valuable runs to the score.

Ashes to Ashley

Sun, 12 Jul 2026 12:48:00 +0000

Heaton Mersey Magic (U10s) Cheshire County Cricket League Match 10

Strange to think that when the boys started preparing for their first season of hard ball, the Ashes were just ending.
We were in very rural Cheshire this morning, with the dry ground and crickets (the animals) making it feel like the African Savannah.
Calum and Ellis's opening partnership was their best yet.
There's a problem with bowling fast and well on a hard outfield.

Ellis bowled very well, taking our first wicket

Zack had a great first game behind the stumps.
Seth picked up his first wicket at this level, caught by Thomas (Tickle) in the covers

Tom picked up one in a great come back over

Further wickets for Toby, caught by Ellis, and Calum

Again 10 brilliant bowlers.
Some great outfielding.
We matched our opponents in the field and at bowling.

The match came down to the last few overs, but we couldn't quite force the couple of extra wickets to win it.
Moment of the match to Calum for a great innings, outstanding bowling, and immaculate fielding.
It was a 'bump ball' by the way, but we'd still be there if I hadn't conceded that one.
I told the boys after that it was our most impressive performance of the season (they may need reminding).
Thank you all for the wonderful support.

Into the Bison's Den

Thu, 09 Jul 2026 12:43:00 +0000

Heaton Mersey Magic (U10s) Cheshire County Cricket League Match 9

It didn't take long to figure out that Bramall away would be our toughest fixture this season.
I told the boys beforehand that result and score were immaterial, and tonight was about performing to their best and learning new skills for next year.

-We were unfortunate to lose the toss.
Isaac and George opened the bowling.
Freddie was outstanding in the field.
Dan struck with another wicket

Alex did some great work out in the deep

Charlie had a good night behind the stumps, and then Dan backed that up when he took over

Our bowling was as consistent as ever.
Alec bowled a couple of overs of lovely spin

Hugo and Isaac were fearless opening up against some rapid bowling.
Ben and George, and then Alex and Dan batted brilliantly.
Alec and Reuben had licence to have a go at the end and showed how another year will enable our U10S to do the same next year

The differences between the teams came down to experience and size, with Bramall being very good at running and having that bit of extra power batting, which makes catches harder and puts pressure on the field.
Although we lost, the spirit, skills, and good humour showed our potential.
Thank you to @⁨Louis Mundin⁩ for help with coaching and all our wonderful parents for your support

Mersey reach their peak against Bollington

Thu, 09 Jul 2026 12:36:00 +0000

Heaton Mersey Magic (U10s) High Peak League Match 10

It was the last regular game of the High Peak League tonight at Green Lane.
Bollington called incorrectly, so Captain Freddie had his first big call.
The first over sets the tone for what follows.

The ground fielding and backing up was a joy to behold, putting into practice all the training and pre-match pointers

Everyone was outstanding in the field, but special shouts to Seth, Archie, and Harry who've had a few less games (but you couldn't tell)

Calum stepped in for 8 overs of great wicketkeeping while Tom cooled down

Wickets for Tom, Seth, Freddie followed

And then two for Calum in a pair of outstanding overs, one a great catch by Isaac

Captain Freddie marshalled the field and bowling attack like a natural

Harry hit a single stump from 20 yards for a fantastic run out

Sam continued his development into a formidable pace bowler

There was an outstanding moment of sportsmanship, led by Archie, when our boys applauded Bollington's last batter back on after the run out

So over to Isaac to bowl our final over for this year in the HPL.
So it was 6 wins in a row and 8 out of 10.
With the highest net run rate, just one win in our two very close losses to the Cheadles would have had us in the HPL semi-finals as an U10, and U9, team in an U11 league.
Moment of the match, from Captain Freddie, to Archie for his bowling, fielding, and sportsmanship.
Thank you to @⁨~Paul Fry⁩ for umpiring, @⁨AD⁩ for scoring, and @⁨Jacqueline⁩, @⁨~Steven⁩, @⁨Rob Hodgkinson⁩, @⁨~Andrew⁩ , @⁨~Matthew Hodgkinson⁩, and @⁨~Jimmy⁩ for helping get boys ready, tidying up after, and great support.
AND, thank you to Franklin and Charlie for coming down and supporting their team mates so brilliantly.
Some more CCCL games to finish the season, and we then have a couple of summer cups to enjoy.

Blue(s) Tuesday as Macc get revenge

Tue, 07 Jul 2026 12:32:00 +0000

Heaton Mersey Magic (U10s) Cheshire County Cricket League Match 8

It's ages since we played one of the 10 a side, 20 over matches.
Our opposition won the toss and asked us to bat.
In these CCCL games we often struggle to take wickets bowling second early on, and then run the game close in the second half.
We were eventually vanquished 297 to 260.
Learning points from tonight would be run outs.
Thank you to @⁨Jo Bull⁩ and @⁨Nathalie Hodgkinson⁩ for scoring!

Merseybeat goes on in North East Cheshire

Sun, 05 Jul 2026 17:59:00 +0000

Heaton Mersey Magic (U10s) High Peak League Match 9

You can have the most talented batters and bowlers, and we have loads of those, but it doesn't always mean you'll win.
- Leadership - we are truly blessed to have had Charlie, Dan and Isaac showing some of the smartest cricketing junior brains around, and we've now got Freddie stepping up on Wednesday

- Glue - some players don't get the headlines, but are always there when we win.
- Togetherness - looking out for each other, backing each other, and celebrating each other's success

- Next men up.
- Ability to perform under pressure

We've got the above in spades, as this match ably demonstrated!
We lost our superstar keeper Zach H to a footie injury, so in came Tom for our trip to Disley at 09:30 (not Poynton).
It was "mizzling" and very overcast.
Over to George, the best U10s bowler in our area bar none, to lead the attack.
Calum and Ellis to open (spot the pattern), and another great start against some pacey bowling.
We could relax with Hugo and Alex next.
This was the "glue" part.
This was pressure, but you couldn't tell it from our captain and wickie.
Another amazing effort from the team.
Thank you to all the parents.
Just one HPL game left on Wednesday, splitting 2 Cheshire ones.

U12s/U13s – week 10 – match summaries

Sun, 05 Jul 2026 16:46:00 +0000

Whilst we’d had a steady stream of fixtures throughout the season thus far, it hadn’t seen anything like week 10’s “maelstrom” of fixtures, as John put it.



Monday 22^nd June 2026: High Peak U13s league T20 (Division Bollin)

Heaton Mersey Phoenix 110/6 (20) beat Cheadle Hulme Ladybridge 53 all out (16.

We started the week with a High Peak fixture against Cheadle Hulme Ladybridge, debuting at our third ground, Burnage School For Boys.

Whilst the temperature had started to crank up this week, by 6pm it was not too bad and we had regular drinks breaks.

Cheadle Hulme Ladybridge won the toss and put Mersey in to bat.

Shazil hit two fours during his innings but otherwise it was pure accumulation and he retired on 25 off just 26 balls, an impressive strike rate given the conditions.

The score was 90/2 at the start of the 17^th over and the rest of the batters were on a hiding to nothing, playing purely for the team.

The little rush at the end got us to 110/5, which we reasoned you could probably add 20 runs to given the outfield, so it was expected to be a challenging target.

That proved to be the case as the opposition found scoring tough.

The bowlers continued to keep it tight, with Archie finding a nice line and hitting the batter’s off stump in his second over.

Huzaifah then entered the attack, with the batter (who was the captain, I think) having previously confessed to liking spin, unless it was legspin.

Sam H hit the stumps with the final ball of his over, as did Ollie M, while Stan did the same twice in his first three balls.



Tuesday 23^rd June 2026: High Peak U13s league T20 (Division Dean)
Prestbury 91/6 (20) lost to Heaton Mersey Magic 101/8 (20) by 10 runs (

Magic were on fire as the heatwave started, to make it 5 wins out of 6 games played in the High Peak league.

Captain Leo won the toss and elected to bat first.

The controversial hydration break at 10 overs didn’t work for the Magic team, with 7 wickets falling in quick succession afterwards.

With the added motivation of finishing the game swiftly in time to watch the England football match, the Magic team started brightly.

In the 15th over, Finlay managed to get some impressive turn from his leg spin.



Tuesday 23^rd June 2026: Cheshire U13s league T20 (Under 13 Zone 1)

Heaton Mersey U13s 108/5 (19.

It was a superb victory for Mersey in the sultry heat against a full-strength Timperley side who had only been beaten once this season (by Whalley Range).

The visitors accumulated runs briskly as the extras mounted up until Jake struck in the 10^th over, clean-bowling Timperley’s best batter (statistically speaking this season) with a superb full delivery.

The visitors then had an excellent partnership of 41 runs until Stan struck again with Adam taking his 3^rd catch of the innings.

Mersey started their innings and lost an early wicker through a run-out because of a superb piece of fielding to leave Adam stranded.

Harrison and Shazil put on an unbeaten 63 runs as both batters retired not out (30* off 41 balls and 31* of 36 balls respectively); a superb effort as they repelled everything that Timperley could throw at them.

Billy then came to the crease and immediately batted with calm assurance.

Mersey finished on 108/5, winning with 5 balls to spare, with Billy and Jake staying cool in the heat to steer Mersey to victory.

Areas for improvement – hard to fault the team in the hot conditions.



Friday 26^th June 2026: South Manchester U13s league T20 (Division 3)

Heaton Mersey U12s 113/1 (13.

Our final U12s fixture of the season saw us come to our favourite ground (for our winning record if not the facilities), Heaton Mersey Village, with the oppressive heat just about starting to dissipate.

The second over, bowled by George, could have got us off to a great start, as he got their decent opener to nick the ball behind, but it was unfortunately dropped by Sam W.

Their opener continued to find the boundary at will, including a consecutive four and six off Leo, which took him to a retirement on 35 runs off 19 balls.

They continued to tick the scoreboard over until they tried to take on a second run against the rocket arm of Gregory, running round from square leg to fine leg, with the throw taken well by Sam and finding the batter well short.

We needed to start well, having lost two early wickets the previous week against Timperley, and that’s what we did.

Charlie rode his luck, twice skying the ball high in the air, being dropped both times.

The scoring then slowed and the fielding side got more vociferous, led by their captain Reggie; but the batters were just getting their eye in.

We had won the match by 9 wickets, with over 6 overs to spare, which was a pretty amazing chase even allowing for the relatively fast-scoring nature of the pitch and outfield.



Friday 26^th June 2026: South Manchester U13s league T20 (Division 1)

Hale Barns Gold 90 all out (19.

On a very warm and humid evening in the leafy grounds of Hale Barns’ home ground, Mersey completed an excellent victory.

Two wickets fell to leave the visitors on 53/5 and in danger of not batting their 20 overs.

Sam and Zayaan hit the batting accelerator scoring 45 runs in four overs, destroying Hale Barns’ attack, Zayaan batting with real class and focus, and Sam hitting form including two massive sixes towards the barbeque at the clubhouse.

Hale Barns had a powerful-looking top order and they started well before Shazil struck with a customary superb full-length ball to send the stumps cartwheeling.

The match then turned decisively when Arjo bowled a classic arm ball to pin the Hale Barns batter for a plumb LBW.

An excellent victory for Mersey.

Areas for improvement – nothing obvious as the previous training on batting/bowling came to fruition.



Saturday 27^th June 2026: High Peak U13s league T20 (Division Bollin)

Heaton Mersey Phoenix 170/4 (20) beat Cheadle Falcons 69 all out (15.

It was a very easy win for Mersey against the High Peak League leaders on a warm Saturday morning at Burnage Academy for Boys (‘BAFB’).

Shazil fell to the last ball of the 6^th over and Adam entered the fray.

Billy and the U11 player, Evan, then batted fluently and the score continued to rattle along, with the pair running lots of quick singles and Evan hitting some sumptuous punches for four through the cover region (some of the best shots that I have seen all season).
The away batted carefully until Liam struck first in the 5^th over.

It was a very easy win for Mersey to put them top of the group.

Areas for improvement – loud and clear calling for a catch to avoid players colliding.



Sunday 28^th June 2026: High Peak U13s league T20 (Division Dean)

Stockport Georgians 80 all out lost to Heaton Mersey Phoenix Magic 94 all out (16.

It was another hard fought victory by Magic against a well-drilled Stockport Georgians team.

Mersey lost the toss and were put into bat.

There were also boundaries from Younus, Finlay, Zayaan and Lloyd as they kept the total ticking over.

Spurred on by the controversy, Magic responded in the best way possible by putting in a fantastic bowling and fielding performance.

It was a great win which moves the Magic team up to 3rd in the table and within striking distance of the top two and a semi-final spot.



Sunday 28^th June 2026: Cheshire U13s league T20 (Under 13 Zone 1)
Sale 94/8 (20) lost to Heaton Mersey UI13s 147/3 (20) by 53 runs (

It was a solid win for Mersey against Sale on a rare Sunday morning outing.

Naeem joined Harrison at the crease, having been promoted up the order, and the pair ran superbly between the wickets, putting pressure on the fielders.

Sam then retired on 31* (off 14 balls), bringing Shawaiz in, who immediately batted with real intent, hitting 12 off 6 balls.

The home side started their innings and immediately went on the attack, with one of their openers hitting a couple of powerful boundaries in the opening over before Naeem produced a superb delivery to splatter his stumps (the best delivery that I have seen this season).

However, the match was effectively ended in the 8th over when Adam produced a superb burst of quick bowling to take a HAT-TRICK.

Puneeth then took another wicket as his bowling has greatly improved this season.
The pink match ball was awarded by captain Shazil and vice-captain Shawaiz to Adam for his glorious hat-trick.

Connect 4 for Mersey as they continue their surge

Mon, 29 Jun 2026 17:53:00 +0000

Heaton Mersey Magic (U10s) High Peak League Match 8

We won this match.
Anyway, back to the match.
Our visitors were Bowdon Vale.
This was always going to be a tough target for Bowdon:

- Every one of our bowlers picked up wickets

- Tom got 3 in his late spell, and 2 each for Eddy, Isaac, Toby, and Alex

- Charlie had a great caught behind off Tom after latter's fine wicketkeeping display

- 3 run outs backed up a great fielding display

- We could even spare losing one of our fielders to a comfort break for a couple of overs

- Alex was like a ball magnet, with 5 catches, including the most casual one handed grab you'll see (see above video)

42 for 17 meant a net score of 174 and a healthy win for Mersey which lifts us to 2nd with 2 games to go.
Onwards to Disley on Sunday for the critical match up with NE Cheshire, before we wrap up the HPL against Bollington ar home next Wednesday.
Thank you to @⁨~Louis Mundin⁩ for coaching, @⁨AD⁩ for scoring, and Isaac for his amazing pre-match plan as captain, plus all the parents and families for cheering our boys on to the hilt.

Golden performance from Mersey in the "Golden Triangle"

Sun, 28 Jun 2026 18:35:00 +0000

Heaton Mersey Magic (U10s) High Peak League Match 7

Being a Barrow fan I've gone off football a bit, but I had some famous words from John Motson in my head umpiring this: "this is getting better and better and better"*.
An early start on a Sunday but a nice setting with church bells ringing in the distance.
Our favoured opening pair of Ellis and Calum continued their remarkable record.
George, with some beefy biffs, and Sam, and then Ben and Isaac got us into a great position.
Dan threw the ball to Ben to open up.
After that the wickets kept coming with Prestbury struggling to keep their heads above water (200).
The strength of our team remains having 7/8 bowlers who you can trust.
Their third pair were restrained by Ben and Calum striking, with the latter continuously our unluckiest bowler.
The last pair needed 64 to win.
But they don't have the bowlers we have.
Prestbury's unbeaten run was over and our acceleration up the table continued.
Thanks to all the parents for helping with warm ups and applause, and @⁨AD⁩ and @⁨Simon Webb⁩ for keeping my eldest in line with the manual scoreboard.
Onwards to our new third (home) ground in Burnage and the visit of Bowden Vale for Match 8 in the HPL.
*The 5-1 win away in Germany for those old enough to remember it

George (and a few others) versus the Georgians

Wed, 24 Jun 2026 18:31:00 +0000

Heaton Mersey Magic (U10s) High Peak League Match 6

I am running out of superlatives.
Our latest away match was a trip to Stockport, somewhere in the wild lands around Bramall and Davenport.
Led superbly, the team matched the Macc performance from Monday, not putting a foot wrong:

- Zach deserved the match ball for keeping for 16 overs.
- Tight bowling from all

- Ben's ace run out with a measured underarm throw

- Hugo's 3 for 5 says it all

- once again we just didn't bowl any no balls and wides, backed up superbly (with hands!
After some well deserved drinks at the interval we set about chasing down a target of 246, having kept Georgians to 61 for 4 and a net of 245.
Hugo and Alex to open After a calmish first over, all he'll broke lose with the batsman dispatching the ball to all parts.
Enter George and the Dragon (Seth).
Would our last pairs take it easy.
All the many boundaries left us on 319 for 3, a net of 307, and a resounding 62 run win.
The improvement being shown is immense.
Thank you to @⁨Paul Benham⁩ and @⁨Simon Webb⁩ for scoring and @⁨~Louis Mundin⁩ for coaching.

U12s / U13s - week 9 - match summaries 2026

Mon, 22 Jun 2026 22:30:00 +0000

A week against tougher opponents saw a double Friday loss but a comfortable win in the High Peak league and another cup concession as the Langley Lobsters were unable to get enough crustaceans, sorry players, together.



Monday 15^th June 2026: High Peak U13s league T20 (Division Bollin)

Alderley Edge (HP) 107 all out (19.

John had built up to this match, which he had nicknamed the Ashling Cup due to the presence of our coach at Alderley Edge Cricket Club.

The picturesque away ground was also a place to celebrity spot, with Rich picking out Lancashire legend Paul Allott and their scorer pointing out that Jack Cork, a former Burnley midfielder and father to one of the players, was also present.

We opened the bowling with our trio of U12 fast bowlers, Jake, Gregory and Will, rotating the first six overs between them.

It was quite a while before the next wicket as they had two batters retiring on 25, but then Sam struck to remove one of the new batters in, with a clear nick behind.

However, the spin twins of Sam (bringing himself on again due to a shin injury to Liam, suffered when bravely stopped a well-hit shot) and Huzaifah got hold of the innings.

Huzaifah then tormented the lower order with slow, well-flighted, turning deliveries.

Alderley Edge ended up on 107 all out in the final over, which was perhaps a total that some thought was a bit higher than they had expected to be scored and could prove a challenge.

However, Harrison soon got in the groove, finding the boundary with well-timed square drives, before Adam muscled the ball away with a six over the bowler’s head, planting his size fourteen down the pitch and swinging through the line.

Adam’s fourth six had him retiring on 30 off just 13 balls, and that brought the similarly-tall Shazil to the crease.

Their scorer took it very well, and actually was glad they had somewhat of a challenge.

Huzaifah got player/moment(s) of the match for his two wickets in two balls.



Friday 19^th June 2026: South Manchester U13s league T20 (Division 1)

Heaton Mersey U13s 85 all out (20) lost to Whalley Range Lions 88/6 (16.

It was a tough defeat in a high quality encounter at HMV last night.

Stan anchored the innings with a well-made 18 with a couple of pull shots for 4.

As always, quick accurate bowling from Shazil and Naeem made Whalley Range have to work for their runs as they made an equally slow start.

Arjo had a strong night in the field with a wonderful steepling catch and a bowled wicket.

Unfortunately, we were just slightly short in the runs and Whalley Range passed our total.

Friday 19^th June 2026: South Manchester U13s league T20 (Division 3)
Timperley Falcons 134/6 (20) beat Heaton Mersey U12s 108/7 (20) by 26 runs (

Our next Friday night game against effectively Timperley’s second team, with a mixture of Y6, Y7 and Y8 players, while we were missing some Y7 first-teamers due to an ill-timed inset day.

My research had suggested they had a strong opener, and he did not disappoint from that perspective, smashed four fours and two sixes (both off Leo full tosses), helped by a fast outfield and relatively short boundaries, retiring on 31 off just 19 balls.

Havery, however, induced a top edge from the other opener and Ollie M ran and dived full length to snaffle the chance well.

But the runs, and extras, kept coming and the total kept building.

We would need to start well to chase this down, but we lost both openers in the first two overs, denting our chances significantly.
Gregory came in and was also struggling to find his touch, but Leo continued accumulating and, with a retirement in sight, he played across the line and had his stumps clattered (and was out for 27 off 29 balls).

Lucas, our other U11 in the match, showed the way with his timing, clipping a full toss for four through legside second ball.

Lucas remained not out with an excellent 23 (off 22 balls), while Gregory eventually accumulated 20 (off 26 balls) before attempting a kamikaze run in the last over, apparently to give Finlay a bat (who faced one ball from which he ran a bye).

(Incidentally, they bowled two of their best bowlers for three overs, with one outfielder not bowling at all.

Our next opponents, NEC Spitfires, surprisingly thrashed Whalley Range to blow the division wide open, although we’d need a very specific sequence of results to be able to win the group.

The lost ball at Alderley Edge: