Another bleak weekend weather-wise, and equally bleak for some of our teams on the field too – but also good bursts of sunshine (metaphorically speaking) amongst the showers/downpours.

We’ll deal with the onfield bleakness first and get it out of the way….o40s washed out at Cheadle on Weds eve (I think virtually the entire o40s schedule was rained off across the county). They try again this Weds at home to Ashton OM Vikings.

Womens 3s lost out by 10 runs to Heaton Mersey in their Div 5 East fixture on Monday eve, this league being very much for newcomers to the game. A more competitive side lost out in a friendly on Sunday with NE Cheshire, a day on which three womens teams took the field in Dids colours.

Saturday was another bad day for the 2As, who suffered successive batting paralysis as they crashed to a heavy loss at Marple in difficult conditions. Credit to all for trying to get a game concluded amidst all the rain but after such a bright start to their season the 2As need a lift, and go again at Mere on Saturday when Romiley are the visitors. It’s also an exciting time for the 2As as next Tuesday (26) they get the chance to actually play at Didsbury in the 2nd XI T20, Cheadle Hulme the opposition.

The 2s have a while to wait before their T20 campaign starts, but they’ll be looking to get back to better form before then. They had a tough Saturday too, hustled out in 35 overs at Toft for 179 – which still might have been competitive, but the rain washed away any chance of finding out. Three of the top five were out for ducks, but at least Jacob Mills’ 70 and Isaac G’s 48 provided some cheer. So a bit of early pressure for the 2s to deal with but they have the experience to know that things can turn if the basics (e.g. batting 50 overs) can be rediscovered asap. And in terms of the league, with every team being weather-affected at the top, things remain congested. The 2s host Upton next.

Speaking of which, Sunday saw the womens 2s defeated after a long schlek west to Upton, some ring-rustiness evident after a lengthy break between games in Div 2. However the 2s now have a couple of matches in quick succession, away at Greenfield on BH Monday and then home to Alvanley (at Woodford CC) on Sun.

The 3s suffered a decisive reverse in the Prem, putting in collectively their poorest performance in some time as early leaders Brooklands eased to a 6 wkt win. Captain JB was critical of himself and others in their shot selection, the 3s not batting their 40, which is always a crucial part of Sunday league cricket. Still plenty of matches to go of course but the 3s will look to learn the lessons quickly as they travel to in-form Marple on Sun.

The 4s suffered a third straight reverse, somehow playing a full 80-overs game just down the A34 at Jeremy Beadle. The hosts set Aaron’s side a daunting 192 to win but after a decent start, wkts kept falling, and despite Muhammad Khan’s 52* the winning post was still some way distant when the overs ran out. The 4s face Runcorn next at a venue tbc (due to the Cheshire game at Dids).

The 5s game against Metrovicks was cancelled early on.

Right! Finally the brighter stuff and time to celebrate two Didsbury centurions. The Wanderers absolutely creamed Ashley on Sun in a reduced overs game by a whopping 141 runs, and the man of the day was Torran McNeill, who smashed a superb 142 off just 92 bs, with 2 maximums lost in the fields and 21 – yes, 21 – fours in a wonderful display. Torran’s only played 15 times across the last four seasons and this was his first competitive knock of 2026, so that is some way to get things going! With Ameer Parveen whacking a sprightly 53* the Wanderers raced along at 8.16 rpo, a target Ashley were never going to get anywhere near. The only downside was that skipper Chris missed it all! Bowdon 4s are their next game.

Joe Cooke grabbed the waterlogged headlines on Saturday with a brilliant ton against Hyde, his sparkling 104 coming off just 100 bs (2x6, 16x4), made out of 180 while batting – and all of this while being pushed up to open the batting against a decidedly useful new ball pairing of Jackson and Young. With Charlie’s great season continuing (a third fifty in five inns, taking him past 300 runs in all comps already), Dids were in an excellent position at 289-7 when rain finally wiped out the rest of the day – a real shame but nothing that could be done.

The 1s transition to red ball cricket in the league now, 11 weeks of win-lose-draw, which is a very different discipline. Their first go is at Lindow next Saturday in what promises to be a very watchable game, assuming with extreme optimism that things will ever actually dry up and warm up! It marks the beginning of a busy spell of cricket for the 1s with two double-header weekends in succession plus the start of their T20 campaign in early June.

Rosh’s women were also in the headlines beating Leigh at Woodford on Sunday, in the first ever win on DLS in the CWCL Div 1. Rosh led the way with a terrific 72, continuing her great start to the season, as they posted 188-9, and after rain and delays, held Leigh to 72-5 in 20 overs, some way short of their 107 target.

A word about Leigh, who last week posted 267-4 against Chester (Danielle Collins making 174, her second ton in a row) but still lost – this week their bowler Emma Capper took five wkts in an over towards the end of the Dids inns, including a hat-trick of course. Astonishing stuff! But with Dids really on it, Collins was run out by an alert Isabelle H for just 9, Hannah M clean bowled three players, and all in all it was a great effort to make it three wins in a row and top the early table. It’s Stockport Georgians next for Rosh’s side.

Two other notes: this Sunday Didsbury host Cheshire for the fifth (?) successive season, but it is (I think) the first time we have hosted 2 x T20 matches as Cheshire embark on this format. Shropshire are the visitors and the games start at 11.00 and 15.00 – no doubt more will be posted about this during the week.

Finally, back to womens cricket - the Cheshire Cricket Board has announced a new initiative aimed at increasing the number of female umpires across the county.

Through this offer, female candidates attending an ECB Umpire Training Course (UTC) will benefit from a 50% bursary, with Cheshire Cricket Board covering half of the course fee (£35). The remaining £35 can then be reclaimed through the standard ECB officiating refund process – meaning the course can effectively be completed at no cost.

To claim the full refund, candidates simply need to:
• Attend the course in full (50% refunded)
• Officiate in five matches, complete and submit their logbook (50% refunded)

The bursary applies to all UTC courses, including the UTC course at Upton CC on June 1st and 8th, and a Women’s Only Umpire Course in June (dates and booking link to follow).
Whether you’re new to the game or already involved and looking to take the next step, umpiring is a fantastic way to stay connected to cricket, build confidence, and play a vital role in the sport.

Let myself or Duncan know if you are interested in taking this further.