A varied long weekend results-wise as all the Dids senior teams tasted some action, with the Sunday league campaign underway and plenty of Cup action too.

It’s the Cup that brought the biggest disappointment as the Women went down to an agonising, last ball loss to Lindow in the held-over 2025 T20 Final. Rosh was very flat in her messages to me afterwards, her side battling incredibly hard to defend a meagre 87-8 in their 20, with Lindow’s last pair scrambling a run off the very last ball to scrape home. Rosh (who top scored on the day with 35, one of only three double figure scores in the match) pointed out the great bowling of Isabelle Hevican (3-14) and Emily Wilkins’ ace keeping, but it was one of those heartbreaking games that happen in cricket – hopefully it will provide fuel to go one better this season. The after-match Prosecco that Lindow left behind was fuel of a different sort that the girls could enjoy as they reflected post-match, so at least something to take away from the day!

On a brighter note the Womens 3s got a win last Tuesday in their first Div 5 East game, and the 2s had a last-gap win of their own over Lindow 2s on BH Monday, Maya Farr the key factor for Dids as her 22* steered the side over the line with 4 bs and 2 wkts remaining in a bit of an extras-fest at Woodford – but always good to get a win on the board first time out.

It was a mixed bag of results for the mens sides but, with respect to the sides lower down the pyramid, the important results went the way of our sides in the main, with a couple of exceptions. The 2As lost out in a high scoring game at Hyde, some 570 runs scored in all but sadly only 256 of them by Rehmani’s men – a total that would win a good many games, but not when you are chasing 318. The visage of the Eminence Grise, usually all smiles, was furrowed in exasperation as he lamented the poor Dids fielding which gifted Hyde far too many runs, in particular Jahangir who, he estimated, got at least 20 runs from overthrows going to the boundary! Krishav and Ibrahim both provided some cheer, the youngsters playing some lovely shots as they added 104, and Jack H clattered 62* from 32 to put some gloss on proceedings. The 2As go again on Saturday, hosting Maritime at Mere.

Rehmani and I were chatting prior to his appearance for the 4s on BH Monday in the T20 v Metrovicks, the game an immediate rematch between two sides who had met in the league the day before. On that occasion the 4s lost out by 1 wkt, in circumstances that could best be described as not untypical of Sunday cricket, where an lbw not given makes a lot of difference. Jack expressed his concerns about player safety on a playing area on which the 4s put together 110-6 in their 40 (Charlie Knowles a brave 40* off 83) with just 4x4 hit in the entire inns. When the opposition need 38.3 overs to scramble over the line 9 down (and only 6x4) you get the picture. Irfan (4-23) and Nate (3-16) bowled very well and it was a valiant effort all round.

And the disappointment dissipated 24 hours later with a comfortable progression through to the knockout stages of the T20, after a 49 run win based around another good knock from Ibrahim (53*) and Rohit (53), who made the most of being dropped when on 5. The 4s have landed a home QF draw too, hosting Davenham who play two divisions below the 4s and are an unknown quantity – so a fascinating encounter is on the cards.

The 3s are also through to the QFs too, although their task is much tougher as they travel to fellow Prem side Marple, who have started their season well. JB’s men will be in good heart though, having won their group at a canter (good to see Aaron G and Nate smacking it about at Macc yesterday) and also got off to a great start in the league with a whopping 111 run win over Ashley. Highlight here – arguably of the whole weekend – was a glorious 131 (117 bs) for Nikash, his maiden ton for the club and what a superb effort it was, by all accounts. A hugely talented player, this will hopefully provide the platform for a great season for Nikash, a well-regarded presence in the ranks and clearly a big asset to any side.

Sunday also saw first games of 2025 for the Knights, who lost out at Styal in their Div 4 match, and in Div 3 East for the Wanderers, for whom Amjad Hossain made a terrific 89* in their 6 wkt win at Timperley. In Div 2 the 5s also got underway eventually – Urmston declared their ground unfit (looked fine to me when I drove past earlier that morning) but somehow the fixture was rearranged to play at Glazebury, and I can only imagine the flurry of calls and messages that made that possible! Thankfully all the effort was worth it as Simon’s side bagged a 6 wkt win, Moeed Chugtai making 62* and Isaac Jones 48. The 5s will have a Trinitarian Sunday next time out, while the Wanderers play Hyde 4s and the Knights take on Hale Barns.

Back to Saturday and two excellent wins for the 1s and 2s, and both with a similar theme, as two batters played superbly well but were to fall just short of personal landmarks. Everyone at the club knows the class act with the bat that Sam Leech is, and he fell one boundary shy of successive tons for the 2s, skying an attempted pull. His 96 out of a winning total of 146-6 says it all really, and with James Bidder (3-23) again impressing, and OG (4-44) always impressing, the 2s have made the best possible start (and continued their league dominance over their closest rivals), the strength in depth really quite something.

That was underlined by the game I scored on Saturday, as Chris Becker made the most of his 1s opportunity with a fantastic 97 at Chester which helped seal a thumping 7 wkt win. Charlie was his usual elegant and skillful self, steadying the ship after the early loss of Tim, but Rob was chomping at the bit to get out there and he dominated proceedings pretty well from the off, and once he gets in I don’t think 15 fielders are enough. Rob’s in great touch (255 unbeaten runs in his last two knocks), he and Chris adding a fabulous 172 for the 3rd with some excellent running and lovely shot selection as Chester seemed to run out of ideas pretty quickly. Nick, on the other hand, provided a great example when Dids were under a bit of pressure in the field as Alex Money proved immovable.

Chester lost two wickets casually, almost comically, early on, but then Dids went some 27 overs without a wkt, and that becomes a test of concentration and attitude. Jonty provided the breakthough in another good spell, while Nick bagged a four-for, taking the key wkt of Andrew McFarlane as Dids sensed their moment. Nick shifted the field around to leave singles on offer but boundaries at a premium and from that dismissal (in over 33) Chester hit just eight more boundaries in their inns – only 3 in the last 10 overs – and it was a great team effort to restrict the hosts to 241 on a hard ground to defend totals on. As, indeed, the hosts themselves proved. At a venue where my role is generally hard work and not overly enjoyable, it makes all the difference when you can watch your side bat like that.

In closing a word about ‘Breezy’ who seemed a bit disconsolate afterwards to have missed out on a ton – understandable, but only to a degree. The team got over the line with something to spare thanks in no small measure to your batting – that’s the first thing. And as I told him, he’s experienced things that will stand him in good stead for future knocks. Batting that long – some 2½ hours – against quality opponents, under some pressure, is a great achievement, and now you know what it feels like, you can recall it next time. And he was badly dropped on 75 so it could have been all over then. But you’d take 97 over a low score every time, and I hope Chris is proud of his efforts.

Next weekend the 1s and 2s take on Brooklands (1s at home) with National KO cup action at Dids on Sunday, with Neston visiting. The 3s are at Toft while the 4s play Elworth, and the Women renew battle with Lindow in a league encounter.

All in all the selection panel has a real dilemma, of the best sort, coming up!