On another hot Sunday afternoon, Heaton Mersey 3s were due to play Bramhall.Coming off the back of two victories the 3’s were hoping to give a better representation of themselves compared to the reverse fixture. Bramhall won the toss and elected to field.

The first few overs were seen off with ease with both Ross and Alishan looking comfortable at the crease. This was until Ross’ eyes lit up at a nice full toss which he hit straight up in the air when it should have sailed over the rope. Next in was the new addition to the team Mohammed, who didn’t take long to settle, hitting a big 6 over the covers. A few overs went by until Alishan decided to leave one on off stump which ‘moved miles’. A short partnership followed between Dave and Mohammed which saw a few more boundaries. Mohammed, looking to hit another one over the fielders head, didn’t quite get the power required and was caught out. The in form Shabaz was next to the crease, him and Dave started to rebuild the innings. Both batsmen were looking comfortable against the spin bowlers keeping the runs ticking, rotating the strike well. With 10 overs remaining Shabaz looked to push the run rate on bringing out the big shots. However this came to end when trying to hit another one over the inner ring and was caught just shy of another half century, finishing on 47. Next in was Usman who really took the game to the Bramhall with some big hitting, reaching 42 in relatively few balls. Heaton Mersey finished on 213/4 with Dave(63) and Usman(42) carrying their bat.

The first innings showed that it was going to be difficult to bowl any team out on this track. Mark and Ismael opening the bowling with good lines, restricting the flow of runs early on. This paid dividends when the opening batsman, trying to up the run rate, hit Mark up in the air to Ross at gulley. The next wicket came with a bowling change, Pete getting hit straight down Usman’s throat at mid off. Things were looking promising when Dave took a diving slip catch off Taylor’s bowling to dismiss No4 for 2. With the opening batsman looking settled, hitting some very nice shots all around the ground it was apparent that we would need to put pressure on the other batsman. However, the young batsman played his shots well and looked settled at the crease. It was apparent that this was an important partnership that we would need to break. Unfortunately this break did not come and Bramhall chased the total down with 2 overs to spare with Rishi Kannah finishing on 116* and Edward Gray finishing on 61*.

It was a tough day for the bowlers but Mersey definitely gave a better account of themselves this time around. With 4 league games remaining, the 3s will be looking to cement their top half finish with one final big push.

MOTM - David Flisk