While the recent weather across the country has been giving us a very traditional "Scottish summer," Sunday mercifully brought a trouble-free day. Albeit missing any actual rays of sunshine, the rain stayed away, allowing the cricket to take center stage.

SEMI-FINAL: Aberdeenshire vs. Uddingston
For anyone present at that fateful match two years ago—where our then-U13 side suffered a heartbreaking loss to Uddingston—you know exactly how much a victory in this fixture meant to the boys. With eerily similar squads facing off once again and both coaching staffs remaining identical, this was always going to be a fierce encounter with passions at an all-time high.

Captain Marcus Vila lost the toss, and his young side was put into bat first on what looked like a very lush, green wicket.

Despite the strength of the opposition's bowling attack, our boys are used to facing the best of the best in their age group. The Vila brothers strode out together to get the Shire innings off to a fiery start—and they did not disappoint.

Playing in perfect tandem and matching each other’s aggressive intent, they displayed superb technique and guile. Even though the Uddingston bowling was electric, the brothers battled through, and by the 12th over, the score sat at an incredible 107-0, with both Vilas retiring respectively on well-earned half-centuries .

Uddingston, however, is not a side to cower under pressure. Boasting a stacked lineup featuring several Scotland youth internationals, they showed their class by removing the dangerous Ethan Shedbal and Vikaash Saravanan in the space of a single over. After hammering 107 runs from the first 12 overs, the Shire was restricted to just 15 runs over the next four overs. Knowing they had to be calculated, the lower order ground it out, finding crucial gaps and the odd boundary to muster a highly competitive, above-par total of 157 off their 20 overs.

Despite the substantial score on the board, the boys knew they couldn't take a single ball for granted. They had been cruising in that semi-final two years ago, only to finish just short.

This time, to use modern Gen-Z verbiage, the boys were completely "Locked In."

A speedy Ethan Shedbal was desperate to avenge the loss from two years past, and with just his second ball of the innings, he clean-bowled Uddingston’s top batter, Singh—a decisive, vital breakthrough. Opening the attack alongside Shedbal was youngster Tristan Finch, making his debut appearance opening the bowling for the Shire. He didn't wait long to open his account. Displaying sheer precision in consecutive overs, Finch removed Uddingston’s number 2 and number 3 batters in consecutive deliveries! His first scalp was heavily aided by a flea-like leap from the incredibly athletic Ethan Shedbal, who soared through the air to pluck a sensational one-handed catch out of the sky.

By the 8th over, Uddingston had drifted to 25 runs. Needing another 133, their batting lineup could never quite find its launchpad. Huge credit must go to the Shire bowling unit, who never let their tempo drop. Disciplined, ruthless, and consistent, the attack choked the opposition, reducing Uddingston to a mere 80 runs off their 20 overs.

Vengeance was ours. To the Final we went.

THE FINAL: Aberdeenshire vs. Watsonians
Following a short walk up to the Main Pitch, the boys were welcomed to what felt like a different country. The sun was now shining bright, and the wicket conditions resembled the Indian subcontinent far more than Lothian! It was dry, patchy, and promised plenty of turn.

Striding out to the middle, Captain Marcus Vila did the unthinkable: he actually won a coin toss. Roars of "Hurrah!" could be heard echoing from the Lothian green all the way down to the White Cliffs of Dover, and Marcus himself even flashed a rare, mythical smile. Having conquered the coin, Vila elected to bowl first.

The other semi-final had been a completely one-sided affair, with Watsonians dismantling the previous year's U14 champions with utter ease, chasing down 119 without losing a single wicket. But our boys have been on this stage before—boasting three finals and two trophies. They didn't care what team they were facing or who was on the team sheet. They just knew they were going to do whatever it took to win. After all, We Are Aberdeenshire Cricket Club.

Shedbal and Finch spearhead the bowling attack once more, facing the incredibly dangerous duo of John Boothman and Patrick Cruden—both notorious for their flamboyant and aggressive stroke play.

An early wicket was critical. Shedbal delivered a superb opening over, conceding just two runs. Finch then picked up right where he left off, unleashing a fiery outswinger that tickled the outside edge of Cruden’s bat. At 2-1, the Shire was firmly on top.

Watsonians' Scott came out to rebuild alongside Boothman. Both batsmen put on a masterclass in running between the wickets, putting the Shire fielders under immense pressure and accumulating runs at a decent clip. Despite Finch's fantastic start, the wickets dried up. With Watsonians sitting comfortably at 48-1 on a tricky surface, containing them became paramount.

Enter Vikaash Saravanan with his canny off-spin. Drawing deep from his Tamil heritage—a region famed for producing some of the game's most inventive and magical spin variations—Saravanan conjured a beautiful doosra straight from his bag of tricks, completely deceiving the dangerous Boothman.

It was the exact breakthrough the Shire needed. Saravanan struck quickly again, aided beautifully from the opposite end by Oscar Vila (2 wickets), who was causing absolute havoc with his own "something-spin." A game that sat at 48-1 after 8 overs completely collapsed to 99-8 after 18. Some exceptional fielding and disciplined death bowling by Jay Thunguntala (2 wickets) ultimately restricted the dangerous Watsonians to 106 off their 20 overs.

THE CHASE
Having inspected the square during the first innings, the boys knew that despite the low target, nothing could be taken for granted on this pitch. Patience, courage, and discipline were going to be the order of the day.

The Watsonian bowlers started like an absolute train, removing Oscar Vila and Vikaash Saravanan within the opening overs. At 28-2 after 8 overs, the wicket was proving incredibly tough, the bowling was pinpoint accurate, and the required run rate was creeping up with every single dot ball.

In times of hardship, a team looks to its leadership to guide the way. Captain Marcus Vila has led many sides in the past, but he was facing a brand-new situation here. When his club needed him most, he stood up.

Partnered by a superb, anchoring knock from Sahdev, the two refused to flinch. Patience became their best friend. They successfully saw off Watsonians' premier bowlers and waited for the right moments to strike. At one point, the run rate had climbed toward 7 an over. Fast-forward just 7 overs later, and the scoreboard read an emphatic 100-2. The Captain delivered a true leader's innings when the pressure was at its highest, retiring on a magnificent 53—what was, from this writer's perspective, his finest innings in a Shire shirt to date (he disagreed , obviously).

Ethan Shedbal joined Sahdev at the crease to finish things off in style.

Aberdeenshire Cricket Club were once again the Champions of Scotland.

This is an achievement we should always take as our standard. After all, no senior club in history has won our nation's most elite trophy more times than us. Success is in the DNA of this club, and our youth have proven it once again.

A massive thank you goes out to all the coaches, parents, volunteers and sponsors who made the day possible.

Listing everyone would take a lifetime, but special recognition must go to the evergreen Mr. Phil. He travels up and down the country with these boys, dedicating countless hours of his own personal time and giving his absolute everything to help this youth setup become what they are today #MrPhilAcademy (paid promo) (not really)