Into the second round for our U13 and U15 boys cup sides. Good wins vs Ramsbottom and Heaton respectively had got us going earlier this month, with the luxury of playing at DCC, however both sides would have to make trips to the far side of Manchester this time.The 15s would head past Bolton all the way up the hill to Edgworth, whilst the 13s had drawn Royton, the other side of Oldham. The away GMCL fixtures have often caused us issues with both age groups having close shaves in the last few years. Maybe it's the different style and set up of the GMCL clubs that causes it, (or perhaps the frustration and stress of getting through M60 rush hour traffic being passed along from the parents!) but there’s been a history of a bit of a wobble away from home this early in the cup. The U15s would be up first, their trip to Edgworth on a Sunday morning thankfully avoided any traffic nonsense, but it did mean having to get teenagers up bright and early at the weekend! A bit blurry eyed, the boys arrived in good time, and would be keen to repeat the 9 wicket win from when the last time our sides met…

Toss lost! What should be a normal occurrence, or at least 50% of the time, however it’s an uncommon sight for Aarron to not call correctly. In this rare event, we’d be asked to bowl first. Edgworth's sloping outfield and surprisingly green wicket despite the weather meant this wasn't necessarily a bad thing; we could learn from them before we had a crack at it. Ash would open the bowling for us, starting up from the top of the hill… and I mean a hill. Ash, already one of our tallest players, seemed to be a long way up from where the batter stood; you’d get a sore neck if you batted all day I reckon! A great first over, only two off it and a bye. Aarron, going the other way, struggled to find his footing as his run up went up-hill, then down-hill, a little bit left, a little bit right. It wouldn’t stop him finding a wicket in his first over, a small underedge and a good catch by Ibby behind. Credit to the batter for walking. The pair would pile on the pressure, bowling four overs each through, as the Edgworth batters could make little headway against them. A wicket for Ash would top off a fantastic spell, 4-1-6-1 as he flawlessly beat the bat time and time again. Zac/k squared would replace our openers and carried on where they left off. Dot balls continued to dominate the scorebook. Excellent keeping from Ibby throughout, especially where at one end his feet were in line with the bails, and at the other he was in a ditch. A wicket for Zac caught by Isaac at mid-on, was followed by his second, caught by Nikash, as the dot ball pressure and difficult length that Zac was bowling brought about the rash shot. For Zak, a no-ball signalled off a full toss despite a good catch in the deep from Ash meant that he was unlucky not to pick up a wicket. The batter had charged a long way down, so I can understand his frustration at the call! Isaac and Zac would finish the innings off with wickets steadily falling to both. 4-0-17-2 for Isaac in a strong performance in the death overs; With Zac finishing on 4-1-15-4. A mixture of full and short balls too much for the Edgworth batters as Aarron and Kush safely pouched good catches. Only 82/9 scrambled from their 20 overs, their decision to bat first not looking great.

With the knowledge now that the pitch looked fairly straight forward to bat on, although a tad slow, it was over to Kush and Tanmay. Two easy singles, and a couple of extras, and a powerful strike for four (from Kush) in the first over could be a good summary of the innings really! The pair looked very comfortable, and the combination of a difficult outfield and power hitting made it hard work for the Edgworth fielders. A good delivery would dismiss Kush, with the score at 44/1 in just the fifth over. Tanmay was in full flow and batted imperiously. A short-lived short ball strategy was employed but a salvo of fours clattering to the boundary put an end to it quickly. A 32 minute, 34 ball, 50* retired as he made it look very simple. Nikash looked at a few before deciding it was time to head back to Manchester, with an almighty six down the ground to win the game. A repeated nine-wicket win. It was a clinical performance, with some brilliant individual performances.

Over to Oldham. The 13s also had a hill to climb, this time from the pitch to the changing rooms. Royton CC sat nestled on the side of the hill, with the slopes covered in seating and balconies. It was an impressive sight, especially when looking up at the clubhouse from the ground below. The ground itself was fairly big, but with boundaries brought in close on one side, and a tiny hit towards the seating area, it was clear why the scores Royton’s 13s had been getting in their local leagues were so high. With the livestream on (able to find on playcricket or their youtube!) we headed out for the toss. It was a flat deck, which looked good to bat on, but it did slope from one side to the other which would suit our good variance in our bowling attack; however, we fancied a bat. Another toss lost. Our record at this age group is not great this year, and does have an important impact on junior cricket especially, so I'm hoping our luck changes! Thankfully, Royton would stick us in. Our top order hadn’t fired against Ramsbottom, and gave us a nervy start in a low chase. Batting first, it was important we needed to get going early. Four off the first ball. Thanks Raafe. He and Archie starting us off, with them opening with a leg spinner, and a decent seamer. A good battle, as we made a slow but steady start against them, but in the fifth and sixth over the boys hit their stride. A flurry of boundaries saw our scoreboard rattle upwards. Even though we’d lose Archie to a good catch, with 41 runs already on the board, nerves were settled, and the runs kept coming. Nate would join Raafe, but not for long as the latter hit a brilliant scoop and a pick up off his legs, both for four, to retire 31* off 27. An outstanding innings to set the tone for the rest of the team. We’d lose Harry cheaply, but Isaac would continue the brilliant form he’s in to rapidly accelerate our score. A quick blast of fours and a powerful pickup for six towards the practicing Royton 1st team. Strong and simple shots, he propelled himself past 30 (32*) off just 19 balls with six fours and a six. Nate, keen to catch up, would hit four successive fours, his fifth an over or so later was perhaps the shot of the day, lofting one over mid-on. A third retirement for our top five, Nate’s 30* off 22 balls, is just what we needed after last game, and had got us into a strong position. A quick cameo from Blake, who launched a four and a six, got us past 140, finishing our innings on 143/3 from our 20. Outstanding performance.

If I was a betting man, then 143 should’ve been more than plenty, but with small boundaries anything can happen. A couple of early wickets would make chasing anything that big a really tough; and we couldn’t have asked for a better start. Harry with the first over of the defence. Maiden. Nate, whose switch to pace has been a revelation for us this season, picked up a wicket with his first ball, skimming the bail of middle and off. He wouldn't stop there, picking up a genuine snick to the keeper a few balls later; a great catch by Raafe. Double wicket maiden; What an over! Another maiden from Harry at the other end meant that Royton were two down and had yet to score a run off the bat from three overs. A decent partnership got them into the eighth over but Nate would strike for a third time, clattering the ball into the stumps (pictured) to finish with the incredible figures of 4-1-6-3. Another good little partnership for Royton, as their talented number four and five looked to rebuild with some good running between the wickets mixed with a handful of boundaries. However, the barrage of pace bowlers was too much for Royton, as Archie and Isaac came into the attack and also found success; both finding their way past the bat and bowling their opponents. Their captain fought on but finally fell after a good battle with Patrick, the pair exchanging a few words over the course of the over! Harry would highlight the great depth we have as an age group, with all 10 players bowling at least one over, and all performing well. A great moment in the penultimate over; a wicket for Phillip, caught smartly behind by Raafe, the two U12s beaming with joy. With that, Royton innings staggered to a close, 78/7 from their 20 overs, a 65 run win for Didsbury. An outstanding team performance, led by those retirements with the bat in the first innings which set the stage for a comfortable win in the end. We looked excellent in all four areas of the game, and should give the lads a lot of confidence going forward.

Two good wins, with some special individual performances leading the way in both games. It’s great to see the confidence our players have due to all the hard work they put in during training. The 13s tackle local Whalley Range in the next round, with us making the short journey on Sunday morning. They certainly seem to be quite excitable this year! It’ll be a tough match for us, especially away from home, but with good availability despite it being Bank Holiday Weekend we can’t do much else other than hope the rain stays away! The 15s await the result of the other semi-final; we are hopeful to play in the next couple of weeks.