Partridge hopes to guide Hyde to title

After being pipped to the title on the final day of last season, Hyde Cricket Club have shown no signs of letting the disappointment seep into their 2025 campaign. 

The club were agonisingly close to bringing the trophy back to Werneth Low for the first time since 2015, knowing a win would see them crowned champions, but it was the weather that had the final say. 

With their match at Grappenhall abandoned, Nantwich pounced, seeing off Didsbury to snatch the title by a single point. 

The heartbreaking defeat was then followed by a loss in the Cheshire Cup final a week later, with Didsbury victorious by a single wicket. 

Fast forward to this season, Tom Partridge’s side sit pretty at the top of the ECB Premier League after 13 games and are looking forward to a Cheshire Cup semi-final tie. 

“We were desperate to get over the line last year, but it just wasn’t meant to be,” Partridge told the Reporter. 

“It was really tough, for it to go down to the final day and be decided by the weather, that was really hard on the lads. 

“But we’ve tried to use that disappointment to help us push on and be up there challenging again this year.” 

After losing two of their first four games this season, Partridge’s side then went on an inspired run of eight straight league wins, propelling them to the top of the table. 

Despite a rare slip up at home to Lindow last Saturday, Didsbury’s loss to Brooklands means Hyde still occupy top spot. 

“There’s a great feeling around the team and the club at the moment,” the Hyde skipper told the Reporter. 

“The weather’s been great and it’s been a great start to the season, the aim now is to continue that into the second half of the campaign.” 

This season is Partridge’s first back as captain, following Danny Cranmer’s decision to step down last season, and he admits the club is in a much better place this time around. 

“The first time I was captain was during covid, and it was a completely different period for myself and the club. 

“I was inexperienced at first team level back then, and as a team, we were fighting to stay in the league. 

“Since then, we’ve grown massively as a team. We’ve managed to keep hold of a core group of players who’ve improved and gained more experience, and we’ve also had some great players join- it's completely different now. 

“We’ve kept the likes of Luke Young, who’s one of the best all-rounders in the league, and Andrew Jackson who is of the same ilk. 

“In terms of incomings, Liam Boye who’s come in from Melbourne has been brilliant. He’s the leading wicket taker in the league and has brought so much to the club as a whole, he’s a talented player and coaches the juniors as well. 

“We’ve also had Ryan O’Brien join from Urmston who’s been a great addition, he’s had a couple of 100s and some vital innings, and Max Harsham’s arrival has strengthened us too. 

“I think the big difference compared to back then is that we’re a lot more mature now.  

“We’ve been up there challenging for three or four years now, so hopefully we can use that experience to get over the line. 

“We’re in the semis of the cup now as well so it’d be nice to go all the way in that as well.” 

Another key factor in Hyde’s recent success is their ability to nurture young players, helping them fulfil their potential and become top talents. 

“We’re consistently seeing a high standard of junior players coming through now, we’ve had Charlie [Barnard] go onto play for Lancashire along with George [Balderson] who is a more senior member now, and to have those in and around the first team is great for everyone, especially our younger players. 

“Another one that stands out is Rian Maisuria, he broke through to the first team last season and has cemented his place, and he’s gone into the Lancashire set up as well. 

“That’s what the club is all about, breeding young, homegrown players who come through the youth teams and make it into the first team, and we want to continue to do that going forward.” 

Hyde will look to continue their superb form this weekend when they travel to 6th placed Brooklands.