Huge congratulations to our wonderful Under-15 squad, the coaches, and the immensely supportive families; the lads ended their Vitality Cup campaign as defeated quarter-finalists in this UK-wide tournament.

To do so, they have won six knockout ties, become Scottish Champions, and defeated the champion sides from Northumberland and then Durham. Eventually, they did succumb to a strong side from Manchester, Didsbury Cricket Club – featuring many a Lancashire U15 player – highlighting the level of competition they were up against. We congratulate you, Didsbury, and wish you well in the semi-final!

On Tuesday, match-winning performances from batsmen Ethan Shedbal and Marcus Vila, along with a remarkable spell of bowling by Kanishk Tata (4-14 off 4 overs), saw our lads overcome Barnard Castle, a club from the very strong North Yorkshire and South Durham League. Despite a fine innings by Aayush Sinha (41) and another impressive showing by young Kanishk (2-14 off 4), the Regional Final proved just one step too far for our far-travelled heroes, who should return with their heads held high!

This wonderful cup run would have been impossible without the loyal support of several families; there have been journeys to Edinburgh, Northumberland, and Cheshire, including overnight stays, all taking place in the space of just over two weeks. We salute your commitment and thank you for your unwavering support!

At the engine of this memorable operation have been the coaches! I have watched in awe the dedication of Mr Phil and his team, as they have carried on their work twelve months a year, indoors and at Mannofield. Supporting Phil throughout has been his loyal friend, Rahul Chandu. Phil and Chandu have worked wonders and have built a hugely skilful and brave young group of players. These youngsters have responded to their coaches and have shown great loyalty to both men.

They are a huge credit to Aberdeenshire Cricket Club!

Saturday was a day of mixed fortunes for the three elevens representing the club, but sadly it was a disappointing day for our First Eleven as they were forced to concede defeat to our battling neighbours, Stoneywood/Dyce.

It had all started so well, as Kenny Reid blasted his way to a brisk half-century, striking fours and sixes with apparent ease. Regrettably, however, this run spree was not to last, and Kenny missed one from Michael van Staden and made his way back to the pavilion. Skipper Lewis Munro pitched in with a useful 30 runs, but the others in our inexperienced line-up failed to make sizable contributions. We managed only 142 runs in total in less than 35 overs.

On a wicket that rarely sees the mammoth totals of modern cricket, it seemed likely that forty more runs would have given our neighbours much to think about. Given that we could have batted for fifteen more overs, had we been more cautious in our approach, there was surely the possibility that a total of 180-plus was on the cards. We did have fewer experienced batsmen than usual in our line-up on Saturday and all our players will learn from this setback.

When Stoneywood set off on their chase, Lewis trapped their prolific overseas player, Cian Fortmann, in front of his stumps. Alarm bells duly rang in the home dressing room; they had only won a single league match to date in this troubled campaign. They progressed anxiously and were at one stage 98 for 6 and feeling some distance from the winning line. Michael van Staden joined the stubborn Himanshu Saraswat, and this pair formed the match-winning partnership that gave our rivals a deserved win and a few bragging rights.

Stoneywood now face their relegation struggle with renewed confidence, while we will require slip-ups from both Freuchie and Huntly to get ourselves back into the title race. This week we host St Modans, another club firmly in the relegation zone. Surely we will get back to winning ways in this tie and thus boost our rivals’ prospects of safety!

Club player of the weekend probably should go to Ali Gohar, who scored a typically swashbuckling century at Mannofield.
Ali, not an experienced or highly coached player, has but one very clear approach to batting. He really enjoys hitting the ball hard! On Saturday against Grampian, he did so to great effect, amassing 111 off just 80 deliveries in a knock that included 11 boundaries and 7 maximums – stirring stuff!
It seems somehow appropriate that his magnificent innings ended with his stumping. Well done, Ali! The car park will surely be even emptier the next time you bat. Ali was supported well by Varinder Sood, who scored 42 runs, and our lads registered a useful total of 230 runs from the regulation 40 overs.

Our bowlers, led by Akhlaq Bashir and Ethan Shedbal, were penetrative and managed to bowl Grampian out for 161 runs.
The smile on Rahul’s face after the match reflected a job well done by his lads against a decent team. On Saturday, they travel to Inverurie; I fancy we can avenge previous defeats by the Garioch.

Ali Gohar does actually have a challenger for ‘Player of the Day’; 12-year-old spinner Kanishk Tata recorded the remarkable figures of 6 for 14 in our Third Eleven victory over Stoneywood/Dyce. What an exceptional few days Kanishk has had. Our coaches have broad smiles on their faces at the prospect of working with this talented lad, who was one of the youngest in the squad on Tuesday.
As a result of the probing trickery of the fledgling spinner, Stoneywood were reduced to just 85 runs. Satish Shedbal and again another 12-year-old, Oscar Vila (46), then built a match-winning partnership of 81 runs to all but win this match. Next week, the Thirds travel to the idyllic Burnett Park in Banchory, on the lookout for another win to maintain their league challenge.

Our Fourth Eleven had a blank weekend but are scheduled to entertain Grampian at Headquarters on Sunday. Inviting as they seem at times, these matches are a sad reminder to me that I am far too old to play – especially as modern players would be likely to hit my bowling even further than my opponents of yesteryear did.

As ever, we wish all our teams every success this weekend!