My first duty upon arriving at the palatial surroundings of CBH was to give our team sheet to the umpires, who looked at it askance. “Who’s all these?” they asked, flatly. As I was explaining the circumstances in which we were without a number of regular players, the nearby groundsman, admiring his lovely looking pitch, casually remarked “your lot will get 300 on here and then knock us over”. We all laughed. “If that happens I will buy everybody at the club a large drink” I said.

That, by one run, I did not end up with a hefty bill is but one remarkable element of a day that became quite incredible. How on earth did a 102 run win happen with a team shorn of their captain and best player, and others who would ordinarily be inked in to the side?

On the way home I recalled Geoff Boycott writing about batting one time when Yorks were playing Middlesex at Scarborough. Boycott’s batting partner was Graham Stevenson, an uncomplicated and talented all rounder who played for England. Stevenson was really getting stuck into the Middlesex off-spinner, launching him for several imperious sixes. As the two walked off at the declaration, Stevenson said “ah reet fancied that spinner, that were reet good that”. Boycott pointed out that the spinner in question was none other than the legendary Fred Titmus. Stevenson was shellshocked. “Fred Titmus? Were it really? It can’t have been, Fred Titmus?” Boycott wrote that if Stevenson had known the bowler’s identity, he would probably have patted every ball back in frozen respect. He was that sort of player then.

It was something of that mindset that quite possibly served Dids well today. The players on duty had no idea about our poor record here (apparently we average four points per visit here going back some years). They weren’t aware that, aside from a regular supply of Cheshire players emanating from CBH, they have a great pedigree as league and cup winners and they had three of the top six all time highest run scores in CCCL history playing today. They perhaps hadn’t checked that Harry Killoran scored almost 1000 runs and took almost 60 wkts last year, or noticed that so far this year CBH easily knocked off 243 on day one and rattled up 302-8 the week before.

Anyway, the news came through that we had been asked to bat, the only good news at that point as both my fellow scorer and I were grappling with major computer issues, so it was my trusty paper that recorded the early action which was actually quite heartening. A burst of 23 off 3 overs at one point was especially so, as was Noah drilling three consecutive fours and then a trademark lightning-quick pull for 6. Sadly, he played on next ball, and although both Marcus and Steve played some good shots, their dismissals left us 92-3 in the 25th with the 30 overs still remaining looking an awful lot.

Charlie (2 off 28 at that point) was joined by Lewis Bramley, who survived an lbw shout fifth ball and was then missed in the deep off a swirling skier, difficult but a chance nonetheless. But from that point, the pair – pals at Uni, I believe – put together the most superb stand of 124 at a run a ball, striking the ball cleanly, calling decisively, running smartly, and finding the boundary regularly. The outfield at CBH is every bit as unforgiving as at Dids and it was good to see the guys cheering and applauding the pair on as the ball kept whizzing to the fence, and beyond it on a few occasions.

Lewis was out caught off a skier in the 45th after a wonderful 68 (68 bs, 2x6, 8x4) with Charlie departing in a similar manner in the 51st for a highly impressive 73 (101 bs, 1x6, 10x4) but by now confidence was peaking, James Green going 4,6,6,4 off the opening quick as the scoreboard showed 275. Even young Dan Ward joined in, hitting Harry Killoran for a glorious maximum in the last over as the innings closed on an unspeakably brilliant 299-7. The groundsman stuck his head round the scorebox door, grinning. “Told you you’d get 300, where’s that drink?” he enquired. I pointed out that it was actually 299 and we hadn’t bowled yet.

When we started bowling, 299 looked nowhere near enough, the scoreboard going round like a petrol pump display. Alex Money was in great touch, some slack work in the field gave four overthrows away, and although Elliott thankfully clung on to a miscued on drive that was still really travelling, that only brought in James Duffy, top of that aforementioned CCCL list, a former Cheshire captain of distinction, and a formidable batter. He was quickly away with three boundaries, and with Rick Moore (also on the list) in no obvious difficulty, there was only limited relief when Liam produced a beauty that castled Moore, as in strode Killoran. A misfield that allowed one to become four, then 9 off the next, then 6 off the first five balls of Lewis’s 7th did not augur well as the Dids mood seemed somewhat resigned, but Lewis bustled in once more and Killoran seemed to change his mind mid-shot, ending up looping an intended cut into what looked like a gap on the off side. But Noah raced round from extra cover and dived forward, grabbing the ball millimetres from the turf. Cue joyous celebrations for a great boost.

Duffy replied with two more fours next over, before an even greater boost for Dids as Raza was brought into the attack. It’s a credit to the strength of our ones that Raza generally plies his well-grooved trade of very tidy off spin in the 2s, but having been thrown the ball, he produced the moment of the match, trapping Duffy lbw with the last delivery off his first over. That really did lift the mood. In Raza’s next over Lee Dixon poked back a tame catch, in his next the dangerous Andrew Metcalf drove carelessly to mid-off, and when Jack Williams then gave Steve an easy c&b, Chester had lost 5-21 in 7 overs and Dids were on the brink of a most stunning win.

Raza took them over it, bowling wicketkeeper Nash after a period of resistance – there were still plenty of overs left, remember – and even though the no.10 hit three consecutive sixes, Noah ran him out before leaping at mid-on to pluck the winning catch to give Raza a fabulous 5 wicket bag and the most famous of wins.

I popped into the dressing room shortly after. There was no blaring music, no raucous team song, no beer being chucked everywhere (as other teams I could think of would be doing had they won like that). The lads were sitting in a stunned silence, not quite able to take in what they had achieved. I offered my congrats and to some mirth relayed my earlier conversation with the groundsman, thanking Dan for only running one bye off the last ball of our innings! And then I left them to it, and I hope that the entire team reflect proudly on what they have achieved. Chester are one of the real big guns of Cheshire cricket, and (to their credit) they were going for the win today, make no mistake. They lose games from time to time, yes, but they don’t lose by this sort of margin, and not at home. Didsbury simply played the bowling on its merits and kept their heads in the field when the pressure was on, kept encouraging and cajoling each other, and the result is a quite magnificent and thoroughly deserved win. Oh to be in the selection meeting on Monday!