All of a sudden matches are coming thick and fast, the sort of congested fixture list which, gives football managers palpitations. Things are starting to get interesting in the league too with the cream slowly starting to rise, though in the sultry heat of Tuesday evening things could soon sour quickly. On home turf Didsbury bowled first on what looked a beautiful strip, offering something for bowlers and batters alike. Ethan, in the captain’s seat opened the bowling with Zac and kept things things reasonably tight until the final over. However, Sam and Seb turned up the pressure conceding only 8 runs from the bat between them whilst producing 2 wickets, including an outstanding catch from the captain running along the boundary edge. The one Harry Poole pocketed was almost better. However, whilst there were some flashes of outstanding cricket, equally, there were moments which had McCall and the home fans groaning and griping like a Yorkshire man in a Soho bar. Some of the bowlers seemed to have calibrated their radars with the wrong settings with 27 runs given away in wides. Despite this Timperley were teetering on 236 as Harry Poole and Harry Youall came on. The new batting pair, however, were able to accelerate again reaching 265 before Alfie and Seamus came on to bowl the last 4 overs. As so often has been the case this season though, Didsbury were able to wrestle back the initiative conceding only 10 runs off the bat and collecting 3 wickets. Meanwhile at square leg Harry Poole through down the stumps for an outstanding runout – don’t let the lad near the coconut shy.

Didsbury were set 275 to win – eminently gettable on this track. The opening pair of Harry Youall and Harry Poole made batting look comfortable, despite a rather comical run-out. By the close of their partnership they had put the team well on course. In strode the captain and the run rate accelerated with Timperley obliging nicely with a clutch of half-volleys on the leg side - Ethan gorging himself as if Goldilocks faced with free porridge. In strode Alfie and Seamus with victory in sight, however, they got off to the worst of starts. Alfie was caught lobbing gently back to the bowler followed by a run out at the end of the over as he failed to get his bat down in time. Suddenly, the wheels were in danger of falling off. Things got worse. Alfie again, having an increasingly bad day at the office was out caught in the next over. Didsbury lost another wheel, rapidly resembling Trotters’ Reliant Robin. As Sam and Seb walked out, things were in the balance, however these two brushed aside any remaining resistance, swatting boundaries at will in a partnership of 42.

In the end Didsbury won comfortably, but based on recent performances, this was not of the vintage variety. Ethan put in a real captain’s performance and Sam Chadwick with shades of KP in his prime, minus the hair dye, is turning out to be one of the finds of the season. The matches now come thick and fast with Didsbury battling on all fronts in both cup and league. I imagine radars, however, will be checked and adjusted over the coming days.