I’ve needed the thinking time I’ve had since scoring that quite extraordinary 1s game on Saturday, which will form the main part of the first weekend round-up of 2025, but a mixed but generally positive bag of results heralded the new season for sure.

Rehmani has written loquaciously about the 2As endeavours at Marple which you can enjoy, and the women’s 1s also suffered an early setback, without Rosh and Kashmira at Georgians but enjoying the presence of Hannah Jones. Hannah made 53 but was one of only two batters to reach double figures in a poor show, 107 all out and a 7 wkt loss in their Thunder Cup game. Zoe’s 2s had a useful BH friendly across at Upton, losing by 13 runs but getting some valuable match practice.

On a brighter note, there were four wins to celebrate, plus our Wanderers claiming the bragging rights after a friendly with the Knights ended with Wanderers claiming a 25 run victory. Also on Sunday, both the 3s and 4s got their T20 campaigns off to solid starts, similar totals and similar margins of victory for both. In another coincidence, both sides lost a wicket to the first ball of their respective matches! But the 4s had James Coventry (33) and especially Aaron Creighton (80* off 55) to thank for their 161-4 against Metrovicks 4s, the skipper piling in with successive maximums in a jaunty little cameo.

A less happy start for the 3s stand-in skipper as Corbs tipped and ran off the first ball against Cheadle, Madhu sadly some way short as the inrushing fielder swooped, but thereafter it was a succession of breezy knocks that took them out of sight of Cheadle. The super balance of youth and experience dovetailed really well, especially in the field where Xavi bowled beautifully and DB rolled back the years with four overs of flight (and I mean flight) that had the batsmen hopelessly befuddled. Nikash held an excellent boundary catch off one such delivery that saw the best Cheadle bat dismissed.

On Saturday the 2s were back to watch the fascinating conclusion of the 1s game having eventually knocked off the 90 they needed at Brooklands to kick off their title defence successfully. All of the players I spoke to were just happy to get the job done on a pitch they all described as used, turning, and a little disappointing for an opening day track. Ed Catt brought delight to the many who had put him in their fantasy teams with 5-19 and a cool 7* to help Seb, who also had a fine game, inch the side home after they were 71-7.

And so, finally, to the 1s in more detail, and a match I don’t think I’ve ever seen the like of. Some brilliant batting and wonderful hitting throughout. But a 13-ball first over of the match? 97 extras in a Premier Division match? Steve bowling 14 wides in a single over? The last three wickets adding 124, and the opposition, needing 8 an over off the last 10 with two wkts left, getting themselves to wanting 19 off 18? James Duffy dropping a catch? All astonishing things.

There is lots to be pleased about of course – a precious win, a fabulous century from Rob, some bright moments with the ball including a great spell from Alex, a respectable debut for Abhay, and the team keeping focused on what became a very cold afternoon - not easy, let me tell you. Steve’s 57 was also a stylish affair, he and Rob keeping their cool and showing their class in a terrific 115 stand when Lindow enjoyed a period of ascendancy in the field. The last over of the Dids innings was fittingly bizarre. Only two Lindow fielders were allowed outside the circle as they’d gone over their time. Will Espley, whose previous spell had been 2-0-40-0, was thrown the ball with Rob and Sam nicely set….and bowled two dots before conceding just four singles. How telling that was to prove!

Dids got on top in the field, some wonderful work epitomised by the General, who along with 3 wkts took a fantastic low, scrambling grab at long leg off a top-edged hook, that catch seeing the back of the dangerous Duffy right on drinks and leaving Dids holding all the cards, Liam later clinging on with cold hands at backward point as Isaac Brooks, who is a more than handy no.10, drove loosely at a slower ball.

With Will racing through 10 accurate overs with real skill, things looked all in order, but that’s when, for Dids, it almost went horribly wrong as the aforementioned Jamieson unleashed an incredible array of hitting, eight massive sixes threatening a real steal of a win as the runs flowed, 70 coming off four overs from the Fletcher Moss end after Will had bowled out. Finally, after the last pair had added 49, needing 17 from 14, James G finally got one full and straight to the no.11. Credit to Rob who had a great all-round game, racing in to ping an accurate throw which kept Jamieson Hedges to a single three balls earlier.

As I have said, the team kept the encouragement going, plugged away, leading to relieved delight for Dids and an emotionally frazzled scorer. The chairman later revealed he had been equally fraught, not wanting to move in the clubhouse for fear of bringing some sort of ill-fortune on proceedings!

The ragged bowling, wide after wide, was a real concern, and having now conceded 113 extras in two games (the Leigh friendly and today) there is obvious work to be done there. But what a game to start the season! Three games for the 1s on our square in April have yielded 1904 runs, if you please, and there will be plenty more to come at this rate. The 1s are at Brooklands on a hopefully pristine strip next Saturday.