Stuart Stoneman produced a wonderful individual performance in the middle of an impressive season for the mature all-rounder, his 83 off 49 balls guiding the 2s to T20 Finals Day again on the warmest night at Dids that most of us could recall.

In truth it was a performance that tailed off after shaping up to be potentially a record breaker. After the first ten overs Dids were 103-1, and that first period is worth a more detailed reflection. Sam Youds found the boundary four times in his first eight balls (albeit not always via the centre of the bat) but after two altogether more convincing fours from Jack, it was Stuart’s remarkable innings that rightly drew increasing appreciation. It went 1-1-1-4-4-4-1-4-4-2-4-4-4-4-4-4 to bring him 50 off just 17 balls (11 boundaries in 13 scoring shots in that sequence) as 53 runs in total were added in just three overs. Wow! There was warm applause (quite literally) all round for this fabulous batting, the batters coping with the heat a little better than the fielders who were having a tough time on the unforgiving outfield. Drinks came onto the field, Mersey all at sea and needing to regroup desperately.

To their credit, the visitors did just that, Jack falling to Hassnain Shah’s quicker ball after hitting Dids’ only six of the night, his psp with Stuart worth 98 in just 9.3 overs and the score 117-2 in the 12th. The innings lost momentum, an injury forcing James Sandom from the field, Stuart understandably tiring, and the boundaries drying up before Ed and especially Tom conjured what proved to be a crucial 26 from the last 2 with a mixture of excellent running, innovative scooping and highly effective orthodox straight hits, 190-4 the final total. Not as many as it should have been but still a big target.

The value of that finale was proven as Mersey finished 25 short. They started off very brightly, with 26 on the board after just 1.4 overs. Thankfully Rohan produced a beauty that tempted Louis Mundin into one hit too many – a more crucial wicket than was realised at the time, because another couple of overs of hitting like that and it could have been a different outcome, as the final result indicates. Sam Youds produced an excellent three overs, as well as pouching two good catches to round off an impressive personal contribution, but otherwise it was an indifferent Dids effort in the field. There was absolutely no lack of effort in difficult conditions, and some excellent tumbling stops and dives, but too many loose balls, three dropped catches, 28 extras – the 2s will be aware that they were not at their best, but they did enough.

In such exceptional weather, getting the job done was what mattered most against tricky opponents who had beaten our 2As recently, and the 2s can look forward to defending their title. Grappenhall will be at finals day, and it looks as though Brooklands will also be there. As will Dids' biggest rivals, Chester BH! So let's hope Dids can produce two complete performances whenever the day arrives, likely to be a Sunday towards the end of August.