''The Cup That Cheers'' by Jack Nixon

Since I first started reporting on cricket in the Aberdeen area, I have always believed, the Aberdeenshire Cup is the most prestigious in the 139 year history of the North East (Scotland) Grades.

It was therefore, entirely appropriate that my last writing assignment in a career spanning 27 years should be at Mannofield for the final of this highly rated competition on Sunday August 27 when two of most recent achievers, Gordonians and Knight Riders were due to clash.

The fact that the two protagonists had met less than 24 hours earlier on Grade 1 business at Countesswells gave the game an extra edge, particularly as the game had gone right to the wire, resulting in a narrow two wicket win for the home team, keeping them in the the three way battle for the top honour in the Grades league set up.

The final therefore represented the opportunity for the Groats Road side to balance the books, while winning silver, and gaining compensation for failing to defend the title they so handsomely won in 2022.

The scene was set for an exciting show down, but surely not to be as tense as the clash the previous day.

How wrong could be, as the two well matched sides went on to prove in one of the best games on my watch, perhaps the best.

With the threat of rain around, and overcast conditions, it was no surprise that after winning the toss, Knight Riders elected to ask Gordonians to take first use of a wicket, so lovingly prepared by groundsman Callum Howard.

A decision which looked totally vindicated as the loss of early wickets, appeared to have handed the initiative to the inspired bowling of Knight Riders, superbly led by strike bowler Bijin Vijayaraj who while only taking one wicket for 23, started his spell with four maidens.

Indeed with six wickets down and less than a hundred on the scoreboard, it looked all over bar the shouting.

But cometh the hour, cometh the man, or in this case two men, as Ravi Mahajan & Ashfaq Bashir extracted their team from a difficult situation with a stand of 86. By the end of the innings, 177 from 40 overs, represented a respectable total.

The Gordonians attack appeared set to replicate the heroics of their opposite numbers, and again it was the lower order batsmen who rose to the occasion, although it was a solid knock of 51 from former captain Somu Kumarasamy who anchored the Knight Riders reply.

But it was a belligerent 23 from Prasanth Malireddy who turned the tide for the Groats Road side, enabling them to squeeze home in a thrilling encounter which was only won in the penultimate over to the unconfined joy of their substantial travelling support.

But on that one, I have to ask, where were the Aberdeen cricketing pubic who keep telling me just how the big the game is in the Granite city. After all 21,000 spectators over two days crammed into Mannofield in September 1948 to watch Scotland take on the Aussie team better known as the Invincibles who had just beaten England 4 - 0 in the Ashes series. The rain intervened at Old Trafford, preventing it being a white wash, not for the first time.

And finally while you are not likely to get big crowds at Groats Road, I can testify you will get the warmest of welcomes from players and supporters when the two Knight Riders teams are in action, led by their inspirational captain Siva Palaniappan, who I had the pleasure of presenting the Aberdeenshire Cup to at the end of a great day's cricket.

All my predictions of a few years ago came true when after watching the Knight Riders I told Somu, the captain of that era, his side were capable of winning the big ones. Years later with their first Grade 1 title and now the Aberdeenshire Cup in the bag, I feel total vindicated.

But then, I will quit while I am ahead and happy to call it a day, all the happier for having met some of the nicest guys in the game for the last time on Sunday, including the sporting gents from Countesswells.

The spirit of the game was well represented on a day when the sport was the winner, and I was there to report.