Wearing the club's fantastic brand new T20 coloured kit, the 2As met Stockport CC 2nd XI in the first round of the 2nd XI T20 Cup. In what is sadly a rare event, the 2As were able to play at DCC, and with a decent crowd watching on, they went in to bat.

Shah Meeran Zia and Andrew "T20 Specialist" Mashiter opened the batting and got off to a good start, reaching 34/1 after 4 overs. David Tubby firing away a volley of boundaries before being dismissed trying to go over the top. Mash and Evan Turner would put on an excellent 60 run partnership. Some good running between the wickets and some fantastic shots saw Didsbury's run rate climbing. A nightmare over for Stockport, which required 14 deliveries to complete, went for 24 runs gave Didsbury a strong position at the halfway point being 80/2. Stockport would claw it back however, with a couple of wickets and some tidy bowling. Evan would go on to make 40, a great knock that held the innings togther. Sunil Singh would bring some firepower towards the end, and added some extremely valuable runs in the final over as he finished on 21 off just 12 deliveries. The 2As ending on 141/5 off 20, which those that play at Didsbury regularly will agree that it doesn't seem enough with the short square boundaries and rapid outfield.

The 2As would open with captain Rehmani and Jack Prince. Some miserly bowling from the 4th XI skipper held back the runs of the Stockport openers for three overs in the powerplay, picking up a wicket in the process. Some powerful hitting at the other end however saw Stockport to 40/1 off 4. The experience of Nigel Bellamy was required, who picked up a wicket in his first over, and completed an excellent set of four overs to halt Stockport's charge. Meeran and Haris would follow suit as pace off the ball was clearly the way to go. Meeran getting through his four overs quickly and unscathed. Haris' first two overs were brilliant going for just four and three as Stockport continued to fall behind the required run rate. However, just as the game seemed to be going all Didsbury's way, a new batsmen took a liking to Haris' bowling and dispatched him for a 6 followed by three 4s. Haris held his nerve, and as the Stockport batsmen decided now was the time to audition for Strictly and began to move around the crease as if he was doing the samba, Haris beat the bat and LJ Grimbaldeston carried out a fine stumping. Stockport's number 3 who was batting well remained but some expert bowling from Rehmani saw him struggle to get anything away. Showing his skill and experience, the 2As captain fittingly bowled the final over and secured his side the win. Stockport finishing on 135/4.

An excellent day, the 2As having not been in the cup the last few years showing great potential to go deeper into the cup. The experienced seniors and the ever-talented juniors both contributing to a close win. With lots of positives, and a few lessons learned from the game the 2As are well placed for their T20 campaign. The date for the next round of the cup is to be decided, but the 2As meet Macclesfield CC in the league on Saturday.