Grampian Cricket Club are hoping Sunday can be a day to remember as they go for a cup double.
Their first XI face Huntly in the final of the Bon Accord Cup at Mannofield (1pm), and three hours later, at the same venue, Grampian’s 2nds take on Aberdeen Tigers in the Reid Cup final. Both games are T20.
Grampian were formed in 2014 and are aiming for a memorable double to mark a decade in the North-East Grades.
First-team captain Mynul Nadim, who joined the club in 2021, said: “It could be a great day for the club – it would be history for Grampian to win two cups on the same day.
“I joined Grampian after they saw me playing softball cricket in Duthie Park.
“They’ve given me the opportunity to play and I was made captain this year, which was a great honour. Hopefully I can be a cup-winning captain.”
Vaisakh Sasidharan is Grampian secretary, captain of their second team and one of the club’s founders.
He added: “Since we formed, we’ve never had something like this with two teams in the final on the same day and we’re very excited about it.
“It would be a great way to mark 10 years of the club if both teams could win.
“Most of the guys at Aberdeen Tigers were playing with us last year before they started their club, so we know each other quite well. I’ve been pleased to see them doing well.”
Huntly and Tigers up for the cups
Standing in Grampian’s way are two determined sides.
Graham Reid, who is the captain of Huntly’s Grades team, believes reaching the Bon Accord Cup final shows the talent within the Castle Park ranks.
He said: “It would be a great achievement if we could win and it’s something that would be spoken about for a while.
“We’ve got quite a lot of juniors in the team and getting to the final shows we’re going the right way in terms of trying to develop young players and bring them through.
“We played Grampian in the first game of the season and they beat us, but we’ve improved since then.”
Meanwhile, this is Aberdeen Tigers’ first season in the Grades, and skipper Zakir Hussain is thrilled to be in a final.
Before Sunday’s showpiece, Tigers tackle Grampian 2nds in Grade Three on Saturday.
Hussain said: “Everyone involved in the club is really excited about the final and hopefully we play well.
“The Reid Cup is a historic competition and it would be good to get our name on the roll of honour. We’ll try our best to make it happen.
“Having played for Grampian before we started Aberdeen Tigers, it’s quite nice to have a final against them.”
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