Saturday 9th June 2007

Well, for a change I won the toss. You will remember that the last time we played this team, they scored over 400 runs, which rather demoralised us, so I decided that we would bat first.

This was a crucial match, so I had spent some time with the average charts, and picked what on paper was our strongest team. Richard and Jona opened the batting, but never looked comfortable on a wicket which was allowing the ball to seam wildly, Richard, ironically, was caught by the keeper from one of the few straighter balls: 22-1.

Jona went soon after, also caught by the keeper: 26-2.

The ball kept moving around, and inevitably MinCat edged it to the slips: 29-3.

Steg and I managed a short revival, before he was given out LBW: 71-4.

Our Vice-Captain came in to join her Captain, edged her first ball to the slips, and returned to the pavilion: 71-5.

Medusa lasted a few overs before edging to the keeper: 77-6.

Phil and I pushed our score on over the 100 mark, before he was bowled: 118-7

Realdoc came in, determined to show that her long hours in the nets have been worthwhile. Unfortunately, she lasted only short seconds at the crease, being bowled first ball: 118-8.

Tom and I made a brief but productive stand, before he edged a catch to slips: 144-9.

Only Vicus and I were left to push the score up to something respectable. Vicus did his best, before he too edged a catch – to the keeper this time: 171-10.

Not a good score. There were some glum faces over tea.

I warned players that I would be rotating the bowling regularly, particularly if any bowler became expensive. Tom assured me that he was raring to go after his rest last week, so I allowed him to open – and with his first ball a catch flew hard and fast to me in Gulley: 0-1.

In his third over, Tom clean bowled the next man in: 4-2.

In the next over, I took a caught and bowled: 9-3.

Two balls later, I clean bowled my man: 10-4.

It really looked as if we were going to walk this match.

Sadly, the opposition had been saving their two best batsmen. We just could not dislodge them. I tried eight bowlers, but none of us could break through. Finally, after both batsmen had got half-centuries, Medusa bowled one of them: 136-5.

Heads were down, not helped by Richard dropping a catch off my bowling.

Fortunately Frangelita made an amazing dive to catch a low chance off my next over: 152-6.

We could not dislodge the next men in, sadly, and they raced past our score, finishing on 174-6.

The 20 points they get for the win take them back on top of the league. The six points we got for their six wickets just keep us in second place. As you can see from the league table, any one of five teams can win the league, after the final match next week.