Pobsy won the toss and decided to bat, which was met by a sigh of relief to some of the lower order batsmen who needed some time and a few cold Doom Bars to ease their sore heads from Saturday night.

The pink ball was on display today. Which helped as the ball was soon to be Peckered around the park and dispatched into the trees on more than one occasion. Unfortunately, it didn’t help either our slip cordon or one certain individual throughout our fielding stint in the summer heat.

The Spinach and Badger opening partnership settled into a good rhythm, nudging some boundaries and a handful of sixes, putting on a score just shy of 50 runs. Spinach took a ball to the box which enraged him. But in a usual fashion of trying to sweep across the line, he fell to the off spinner for 20. A good start for the Peckers.

In goes Cuddles, some fine work straight bat and nudging the ball around the park, swiftly bedding in at the crease leaving some of the Tadworthians worried they wouldn’t breakthrough the Peckers low order, who at this point had set a solid 70 for one wicket.

The Spinacia String Quartet..Badger, Butternut, Macca and Spinach

Badger continued his strong vein of form, dispatching the opening bowlers to all parts of the ground, with a handful of back to back boundaries and handful of sixes, all closely witnessed by the excited Burnley Badgerina, onlooking from the boundary. He eventually fell to a sitter of a catch for 37.

Henners tucked into their 2nd change bowlers, aided by 4 or 5 dropped catches from unsuspecting fielders. At one point the adoring boundary supporters were given a real treat with 3 consecutive sixes, and in true pecker fashion, the following ball was booed when it only went for a 4, but luckily didn’t require a search party! Henners finishing up on a solid 88. Skipper Pobsy didn’t last long and neither did Groundskeeper Willy given LBW by Cannon, gone for 3.

Worried things began to bare the potential for a ‘classic Peckers Collapse’, Macca, fuelled up on the picnic provided by Badgerina and Avocado, stepped to the crease for his best innings to date. He sent his first six of his career over deep mid-on. Punching the air in celebration. He was eventually stumped (for 27)

A year on from his Peckers debut at Tadworth last year, Butternut takes to the crease with Cannon looking to take some swift runs, before a near runout and Butternut diving for the crease. Cannon swiftly caught off his second ball, for 1. After some usual swinging from Butternut with only a couple of overs to go run out for19. Leaving Tiddles to come in to face the last balls of the final over and The Cat both not-out. At the end of the innings, the Peckers put on a tidy 244, a big target for the Tadworth XI.

An eagerly awaited Tadworth match tea which ranks up there with the best. Whilst typically (pre-Covid) this would display a delicious smorgasbord of cakes and cheeses with a luscious ensemble of fruit salad.

***Back L-R; Cuddles, POBsy, Cannon, Tiddles, Groundskeeper Willie, Spinach, Felix the Cat, Badger, Henners, Macca and Butternut***

We opened up the bowling with Tiddles and Felix the Cat, aiming to keep a lid on their openers. Tiddles in his usual fine form, taking a very early wicket, nipping the top of off stump on his second ball sending the opener back to the pavilion for a duck.

The Tadworth Veteran Stewi and ended up striking a solid ‘Dom Sibley-esque’ half century off 104 balls. Felix the Cat nearly got his claws on a hattrick and was certainly pumped up for it, following his minor frustrating debacle with one of the younger Tadworth batsmen.

A few overs from Butternut and Macca who both kept it tight in play for the middle order, further pushing up Tadworth’s required run rate into hot water. Soon, Butternut takes his wicket bringing Tadworth to 68-5. This swiftly followed by Macca’s wicket, caught by POBsy..

?There was an area of the Peckers’ field that faltered under pressure, whilst in previous fixtures, the Peckers’ slip cordon is usually up for the odd wonder-catch but it seemed that Tadworth this year on occasion both the wiki’s gloves and Groundskeeper’s hands weren’t able to land catch. Badger let a couple of edges slip through the glove, but remonstrated there was not contact.

Whilst its widely debated and research suggests Covid-19 can’t be caught by under 25 year olds, it could also be argued whether a cricket ball can be caught by Groundskeeper Willy at Tadworth. To the fields hilarity, Groundskeeper had a handful of opportunities edged his way which all slipping through his fingers. Maybe it was the slippery hands from the from the lemon drizzle cake, but we all heard the usual excuse ‘the sun was in my eyes’, or maybe it was Myrtle causing a distraction on the boundary... All the drops were off his best mate, Felix the Cat, which prompted lots of ‘hope you enjoy the walk home’ chat from the Cat

One of the more bizarre Pecker incidences to date was Groundskeeper Willie chasing to save a boundary at deep midwicket by curiously throwing his blue cap to stop the ball..incidentally awarding Tadworth an expensive 9 run boundary, a few laughs from the Peckers and a shaking head from the bowlers end during Cannon’s spell. Of the last clever bowler changes, skip decided to bowl leg-spin for the last few overs. Leading from the front, POBsy set an example, whilst also making up for his duck with a 3-fer for a sickening economy of 3-9 to bring Tadworth’s innings to a close.