On Tuesday 3rd May, Didsbury’s U13 Cup Team started off their National Cup campaign with a victory against Roe Green. Two months of unforgettable excitement have gripped players, parents, grandparents, coaches and supporters ever since.

In the latest instalment on Sunday 3rd July, the players travelled over the Pennines as Lancashire Cup Knockout winners, and claimed their ninth successive scalp, beating their Yorkshire counterparts New Rover to secure a place in Round 2 of the National Cup.

From the first round of the GM section through to our victory in the Roses clash, how did this all happen in such a short space of time, particularly with our unpredictable British weather threatening to intervene on numerous occasions.

After beating Roe Green, Mottram waved us through without a game, taking us to Monton for the quarter-finals of the GM section, whom we duly dispatched, winning by 70 runs. Then followed Edgworth, who despite attempting to unsettle us with a bowling rule which didn’t exist, found themselves at the mercy of a batting onslaught- target reached in 10.2 overs.

In the GM Section Final, Didsbury blew away the previously unstoppable and free scoring Friarmere, posting a total of 179 runs off 20 overs and restricting the opposition to just 64 runs.

Representing GM in the main Lancashire Knockout Cup, the players then travelled to Horwich and despite a momentary wobble when the home side’s tail threatened to wag, the team upped the ante and secured a 38 run victory. Up next were Clitheroe, who put up a great fight to finish on 90-9 after being 50-6 at one point. After a tense start, the Didsbury players composed themselves to chalk off the runs and win by 7 wickets.

The final of Lancashire Cup then pitched us against Tarleton, and the game followed a very similar path to the GM Section Final. Batting first, we posted 150 and then ripped through Tarleton who recorded 5 ducks in their total of 70. No dramas on this one.

And so to Yorkshire, where we won the toss and elected to bat first. At one point we were threatening to post 180+, but the home side had other ideas, disrupting the flow by taking almost two hours to bowl 20 overs. And sneaking on a County player who’d played for Yorkshire beforehand and was supposedly running late. Thankfully the umpire was having none of it, and after bowling one over, that was his bowling stint for the game. We finished on 144, a super total, and following eight overs of pace, eight of spin and four of pace within 80 minutes, it was all over, a 53 run victory.

Time and again, fellow parents, coaches and managers from the opposition have praised the Didsbury team; for playing the game in the spirit in which it is intended, for being respectful and courteous to the opposing team, and for also being a fantastic group of talented players who function as a single unit, each and every one of them playing their part and supporting their team mates.

Next stop is Round 2 versus Cheshire’s finest, get through that and it’s a Regional Finals day on 26th July at Neston, win that and it’s National Finals day on 9th August.

We’ve not mentioned any player names, as all the players have contributed so much to the success of this group. However, as parents and players we would like to thank Jim McCall, who for many of us is where it all started (who will ever forget the vainglorious night at Alvaney ??), Rab Nawaz who then took so many of the players through to success at U11 level, and all of the U13/junior coaches for ensuring the players maintain such high standards and achieve success as they move through the Club ranks.

Thank you everyone for your support.

Chris Mulcock, Didsbury U13 Cup Manager