A weekend to remember at Norton Woodseats.

A weekend to remember at Norton Woodseats.

Both senior teams are sitting at the top of their respective tables after dominant performances; the Wildcats are celebrating their first-ever win (with hopefully many more to come), and the mood around the club is properly lifted.

As we head into a new week, the club has also started marking Mental Health Awareness Week, in partnership with Sheffield Mind, continuing the important message that looking after our minds matters just as much as our physical health.

The 2nd XI were at home against Brookfield CC in what looked set to be a rain-affected afternoon, reducing the match to 30 overs.

And when the game began, our seamers got straight to work.

Jake Loughlin (3), Tajawol Arman (1), and Jhangir Ahmed (4) shared the wickets as Brookfield were bowled out for 101, with six maidens across the innings, disciplined bowling, sharp fielding, and constant pressure throughout. A special shoutout to Dave Thorpe for what might be the catch of the season.

In reply, there was a slight drama. Will got things moving, Amjid Tahir kept things ticking, Arman added a quick cameo, before Hakimi brought out some of his trademark shots to help chase the target down in just 19.3 overs.

Professional. Controlled. Job done.

For the 1st XI, it was a proper top-of-the-table clash against Thorpe Hesley & High Green CC, exactly the kind of game the team had been looking forward to.

Bowling first, it was a real collective effort with wickets shared across the attack. Aamir Ashfaque (3), Wajih Naqvi (2), Ronald Richards-Caines (2), Blake Stocks, James Speck, and Tomas Travis all chipped in to help restrict the opposition to 151 all out in 36 overs.

A special mention to Blake Stocks, who backed up last week’s five-wicket haul with another brilliantly controlled spell, continuing to lead from the front. His start to the season has been exceptional 13 wickets already, an average of just 11.23, and an economy rate under 3.

In reply, a strong and committed partnership between James Eyre (35) and Dan Loughlin (61) guided us through some difficult early movement and laid the perfect foundation for the chase. Dan led from the front with a composed innings, while valuable contributions from Ronald and James Bamkin helped see the side to 152/4 in 41 overs.

As one of our senior players put it: “Brilliant win and an extremely mature chase. We’re top of the league, but there’s still so much more to come from this side.”

And then, the Wildcats.

At home against Aston Hall, the team produced a thriller.

Posting 288/3, the Wildcats held their nerve to edge Aston Hall 2s, who finished agonisingly short on 287/5, giving NWCC a dramatic 1-run victory — their first-ever win.

A huge congratulations to Player of the Match, Katie Lee, for a standout performance in what was a memorable day for the team.

Big up to the captains, too. They often carry the pressure quietly.

And yes, we’ll quietly skip over the Sunday cup result 😄 but even in defeat, there were great memories made, lessons learned, and a big thank you to everyone who made themselves available to represent the club.

That’s the beauty of cricket. A true team game.