With the league all wrapped up, the 1s trip to South Downs Road was a bit of a dead rubber, although Bowdon would really want a win to help drag themselves out of the relegation battle. Nick had moved Chris and Jonty back down to the 2s to help them try and secure their own league title, so in came Seb and Owen for their 1st XI league debut. On a good wicket, Bowdon's skipper won the toss and batted first, realising they couldn't really risk Dids batting first and putting on about a million like last time.

This put Dids in a little bit of bother, as Charlie was stuck on a train coming back from London, so David Young was roped in to field for the first few overs until he arrived. Bowdon started well, Lancashire's Kesh Fonseka hitting three lovely boundaries in a row before clipping one straight to Seb at square leg off James. Bowdon's batsmen kept getting starts, and then kept getting out, 4 of their top 5 being dismissed between 24 and 32. We had an early drinks break as Tim had to shoot off from the ground, and David was back on the field. Bowdon found it pretty easy to score runs, but they kept losing wickets as well. Going into the last 10 overs, they were well placed at 183-6, but Seb and Owen both bowled really controlled spells. After being denied his first 1s league wicket (I'm sure he'll forgive you David), Seb got the settled Subhaan Mahmood for 44, soon followed by Tom Bramhall for 22, both caught by Alex (4 catches in the innings for him). Some late order hitting by Finn Grosfils saw Bowdon reach 223 all out off 48 overs, but it always felt at least 20-30 short of where they could have been, 7 of their 11 batsmen getting out between 19 and 44, but no one really kicking on.

Tim was fortunately able to return for the second innings, but with some adjusting of the order, Charlie walked out to open with Haf. With Joe Chapple unable to bowl, they had to rely on their other left-arm seam bowler Haydn George with the new ball. He bowled a tight spell, but the Dids openers were happy to knock it around while capitalising on the loose deliveries. Charlie was looking particularly good, driving imperiously down the ground. George picked up Tom and Alex in the same over, a mini wobble, but at 74-2 off 17 overs, Dids were well and truly in the driving seat. Charlie reached his 50 in the next over, and together with Tim continued in just about the same manner: rotating the strike, not really taking many risks, but still finding the boundary with regularity. Before you knew it, Charlie was in the 90s, and a magnificent cover drive saw him to his first ever league ton for the 1s, an absolutely perfect innings for the situation and easily guided Dids towards their target. Soon after, Tim reached his 11th half-century of the season, including a six off a free hit that bounced off the top of the clubhouse and rolled all the way to the halfway line of the hockey pitch. 41 overs was all it took to reach the target, Charlie ending on a brilliant 116* off 135, and Tim with 57* off 69, putting on 152 at just over a run a ball.
That result, along with Widnes and Oxton both losing meant that only 7 points separates the bottom three (Widnes, Oxton and Bowdon). With only one of those teams staying up, there is still a lot riding on the last match of the season, at home against Widnes.

However, that match was just the appetiser for the weekend, as on Sunday followed the Cheshire Cup Final at Lindow. The ground was decked out in the green and gold of the hosts, but the rain that was promised soon made an unwanted appearance. Lindow had won the toss and chosen to put Dids in first, but by the time the 12:30 start time had come around, the rain had started to fall. It finally stopped at 2:15, but mopping up the outfield and drying the footmarks lead to a 3:10 start, and the match reduced to 30 overs a side.

Conditions were difficult, with a green pitch that was seaming and cloud cover aiding swing. Yoz and Haf dug in against their openers Jamieson Hedges, playing his last match before returning to Sydney, and Dan Newton. Tim fell for 7 trying to force one off the back foot, and Dids reached 22-1 after the first 6 over powerplay. Charlie nicked behind at the start of the 8th over, but when Rob hit Will Espley for two boundaries, followed by a six over the clubhouse off Charlie Hodge, it looked like Dids were starting to motor. But the batting line-up never really clicked into gear, runs hard to come by and wickets never far away. At 103-6 off 20.3, they were in a bit of trouble, but this brought Sam in to join the younger Green brother. Two big sixes off Isaac Brooks from the Horse, and the momentum had shifted back to Dids. Newton had gone for just 14 off his first 3 overs, but Sam launched his first ball back for 6. However, one kept low to bowl James, and Hedges then picked up Alex to leave Dids 130-8 with 5 overs left, and well short of a par score. That wicket brought the most important partnership of the match together though. With his match saving heroics in the semi-final last year still living long in the memory, Will moved one place up the order, and promptly carted Newton over cow corner. 5 wides followed, and a healthy 12 runs came off the over. Two more boundaries off the next Hedges over brought another 12 off the over, and Dids now looked like they would at least have a score to defend. Lindow were starting to crumble, as 4 boundaries and another 20 came off Newton's final over, his figures 1-55 after conceding 42 in his last three overs. The partnership came to an end when Hedges castled Will and Sam to end the innings seven balls early at 175 all out, and bagging himself tidy figures of 5.5-0-20-4. The 44 runs that Sam and Will added in just 3.3 overs turned the tide of the game, Sam's 37 off 28 absolutely crucial in allowing Dids to set a defendable score.

Lindow's batting order tends to rely heavily on their top order with some fantastic players in the top 4, including Newton, who has scored the most runs of any 1st XI player in Cheshire this season, and James Duffy, behind only Warren Goodwin in all time leading Premier League run scorers. Dids would need a fast start, and to starve the top order of scoring opportunities.

After almost pulling off a heist against Dids in the first game of the season batting at 7, Hedges has been opening the batting for Lindow. He found the boundary unconvincingly twice, but looked all at sea against Liam and chopped on for 9, a crucial early wicket that set the tone for much of the bowling innings. A fantastic, testing over followed from Alex, beating the outside edge of wicketkeeper Olly James multiple times. James and Duffy managed to get away a few boundaries but they never looked comfortable at the crease. The ball after he survived a huge LBW shout, Duffy charged at Liam and chopped on too. Two overs later, and with only two more added to the score, Liam skittled James to leave Lindow 30-3 off 8 overs. Alex then joined the party, drawing Sam Battersby into a false shot and clothing it straight to Steve at short cover, 31-4. Liam then wrapped Newton on the pads, and had his appeal turned down. But he wouldn't be denied as he smashed the front pad again three balls later and the scoreboard read a scarcely believable 32-5 off 10, Newton only managing 1 off 15 balls.

This clatter of wickets falling brought Hodge and the skipper Alex Matthews together. Hodge was happy to knock it around as the more aggressive Matthews landed some big hits in an attempt to counterattack. But after facing 7 consecutive dots to Will, he couldn't resit trying to go big again, and holed out to Tim at deep midwicket, 67-6 off 16, and another 109 needed off 14 overs was a massive ask. Hodge, joined by Finn Gavaghan, kept ticking along and together they started to find the boundary more regularly, albeit with a few fortunate outside edges racing away for 4. There was nothing fortunate about Hodge's reverse sweep off Will however, that went absolutely miles back onto the road. He looked so comfortable playing it, but strangely never chose to for the rest of his innings. If he had continued it would have caused Dids a real headache with field setting, so we were perhaps slightly fortunate that he put it away, never to be seen again.

Lindow were just starting to get themselves back into the game, more or less keeping up with the required rate and finding at least a boundary an over. Will got the breakthrough, firing in a quicker one that Gavaghan went back and across to, pinning him for 16. 105-7 off 22, 71 needed off 8. Henry James came in and decided it was now or never, and after letting himself get in for a few balls, went for broke. 15 off a Street over, followed by 13 off an Anderson over, and Lindow had a glimmer again. Whatever that glimmer was, it certainly wasn't sunlight. After a glorious 5 minutes where the sun broke through the clouds for the first time all day and cast a golden hue across the ground, the darkest clouds of the day had arrived. Paired with the fact we were 6 minutes away from the stated cut-off time of 7:20, it was rather difficult to see much of the action in the middle. However, play carried on, and in the next over Hodge reached his 50 off 42 balls. 4 byes soured a good over from the Horse, but just when the momentum looked like it had started to turn firmly Lindow's way, Hodge chipped it straight to Green Jr at mid off (how he saw it in the gloom I don't know, but he held onto the crucial catch). With 3 overs to go, 2 wickets remaining and 24 runs to score, it was probably Dids' to win, but far too close to call. 2 wickets became 1 almost straight away as Brooks clipped straight to Steve at midwicket. A wicket maiden was absolutely crucial at that stage, and a fantastic stop from Alex at mid on undoubtedly saved 4. 24 needed off 12 balls became 14 needed off 6, as a 6 off the last ball of Nick's over kept Lindow in the running.

14 to defend in the last over, with the Horse to bowl it. Espley managed to get off strike with a leg bye, and a wide raised the tension. The next ball was just on the line, and two singles left 10 off 2. The tension was palpable as both sets of supporters held their breath. Henry James lofted a pull shot towards deep midwicket, not far enough for the six Lindow so desperately needed, but also not far enough for a catch, and he got back for 2. 8 needed off 1, and as long as there weren't any wides or no balls, Dids would win. And Jimmy Green delivered, a length ball on leg stump clipped down to Liam at long on for just one sparked wild celebrations, as Dids had retained the Cheshire Cup with a 6 run win, and secured a rare Cheshire League-Cup double.

Unlike last year, where Nick somehow pulled us from the jaws of defeat, this was a proper team win, everyone playing their part in the final. It was probably far closer than it should have been, but Lindow really fought hard to take it right to the last. Liam was outstanding with his 6-2-21-4, ripping out Lindow's top 4 for the second match in a row at their ground, and would have been many people's pick for MOTM. Sam played an incredible innings at the end of our innings, ably assisted by Will, which dragged us right back into the match, changing the momentum completely and giving us a score we could bowl at. And of course James, who more than redeemed himself after a tough T20 Cup final, bowling brilliantly at the death, figures of 6-1-27-1, and closing out that final over without giving Lindow a sniff.

It's been an incredible season for the 1s, the first League-Cup double since Chester in 2017, and the second in our history, demonstrating how we have clearly been the strongest team in Cheshire. In addition, there is still one match left, where the 1s can secure themselves an 100% record in league pink ball matches.