Take your pick as to your favourite moment – seven out of nine of our senior teams winning, three centurions, a double century opening partnership (for the second year in a row), our 1s and 2s top of their respective divisions, or the part junior players are playing right across the club. It’s all brilliant stuff!

The only disappointments were for Rosh’s women coming a cropper facing up to the league leaders Stockport Georgians, who came out comfortably on top in their Div 1 clash and showed why they are out in front, and for our Knights who lost out to Langley in their Div 4 clash.

Plenty of wow moments as well on Sunday though – the 206* opening stand between two 16 yr old tyros, James Coventry and Tanmay, for the 4s at second-place Bramhall was absolutely magnificent, Tanmay just 77 bs for 103* and JC in a fabulous vein of form - his last four knocks are 91, 113*, 18*, 76* and long may that continue.

A brilliant win for the 3s at Timperley too, given a tricky chase of 181 – and as one of their players made 115* (almost ⅔ of their total) it was one of those frustrating targets. A big well done to Xavi for an excellent 5-for, and an as big a well done to Mash, who showed that the other end of the cricketing evolutionary scale know a thing or two as he made a splendid 112* off just 67 bs, accompanied by three juniors as the 3s breezed past the winning post two down. The elder statesman of the side was in fact continuing his good form from earlier in the week when Mash and Mike both retired not out for the o40s as they beat Alderley Wedge.

This Sunday is a big day for both 3s and 4s with 3rd XI Finals Day – the ninth in a row for the 3s and the second in three seasons for the 4s. Sadly there is a spanner in the ointment, so to speak, as the U15s have their T20 North Final away at Seaham Harbour (nr Sunderland) on the same day, so some selection headaches and difficult decisions lie ahead. It can’t be helped of course and is one of the inevitable consequences of having such a strong junior section. All support at Toft very welcome of course and there are few finer places to spend a cricketing Sunday – certainly for us scorers!

The 3s are up first, playing Georgians with a 10.00am start; the 4s are scheduled to play at 1.00pm against hosts (and holders) Toft, with the final at approx. 4.30pm.

The 5s and the Wanderers both won on Sunday as well, captains leading by example as Simon bagged 3-12 before a jaunty 40* to seal a 5s 5 wkt win, and Chris taking 4-34 at Sale. He didn’t need to pick a bat up as U13 Bilal made a lovely 71 and young Dylan G 32* as the Ws chased down 192 with some three overs to spare – excellent stuff. A pleasing win for the Womens 3s too, who beat Brooklands in Div 4 in only their fourth game of the season.

Saturday was one of those great club days with all three sides winning, and winning very well. The 1s were impressively efficient in dispatching Bramhall – Joe, Rob and Charlie all continuing their impressive seasons and Charlie adding further to his repertoire with his Meta glasses capturing the live play from behind the stumps (there’s an Instagram reel to enjoy).

However, the 2s made the 1s’ win look like a struggle as they well and truly banished memories of last year’s match at Kingsway by blitzing Cheadle for just 41 and a whacking 239 run win! Both Jack Hs and both Bidders starred – Hastings with 71 and TB with 78 in a supreme 141-run alliance, before it was over to Harland the destroyer with 6-16 - junior Bidder no less impressive with another 3-for, 21 and 25 wkts for the season respectively.

A note also about young Ibrahim who opened the batting with Tom H (they added an impressive 60) – Saturday was Ibby’s 154th game of cricket since the start of the 2024 season (when he was old enough to play senior cricket!) That figure includes all his junior and representative matches as well and with almost 3000 runs in that time, another fine example of talent being successfully nurtured.

We end with kudos for Jacob Mills, a fantastic 129 (101 bs) for the 2As in an extraordinary run-fest up at Alvanley, with Jack A (69) and Tanmay (34) his main assistants as Rehmani’s men piled up 324-9! Turned out they needed every one of those runs, though, clearly a day for wielding the willow as Alv went hard at the target, and although it got nervy at times the 2As held on for a second successive win, this one by 11 runs.

So with the Finals Day on Sunday, plus an important T20 match for the 1s on Thursday as Bollington make a rare visit - they have been leading Div 1 for most of the season and have some real batting talent – it’s as busy and as good as ever at DCC.