When tasked with writing a match report, one will often attempt to find a theme of the day to write about. These themes often navigate around a coincidence of numbers, a historic fixture or a particular fondness for a certain refreshment, normally water based with delicate notes of malt and barley.

The theme for Sunday’s match against Sanderstead however is not one which requires any grafting or persuading to make it a theme. It is simply the report of a fantastically close game between two evenly matched teams. Prior to this game lots of talk had been occurring on the Sanderstead WhatsApp chat. POB informed us we were due to play one of the strongest Sunday teams Sanderstead could put out so Motty suggested we do a little fielding game as a warmup., usually the Peckers had resorted to the usual warm up of an ale, a ciggie and a chin wag on the square. After his hound Harry had defiled the freshly painted crease, we did have a go at some sort of a fielding exercise but stopped promptly due to fears arising that Sanderstead’s confidence was beginning to grow due to our farcical display.

The usual prerequisite for the game saw us fielding first - POB getting concerned too many Surrey Ales were being consumed, hoped to dry us out in the field. The opening batsmen came to the crease, one of which was wearing a pair of black pads and a shirt with his name on the back spelling Greg. Poor old Greg had Bagpuss and Trasssh behind him in the slips, who made sure all the Peckers were well acquainted with his name .

Spinach and Motty opened the bowling and kept a very handy batting pair in check, not letting the run rate get away from us. But it took until the ninth over before we claimed our first wicket, with Spinach getting his LBW appeal sending Carey back to the pav. Spinach ‘had a blow’ (1-25) and Motty finished in a similar style: (0-20)

Next to bowl was Groundskeeper and Cat. The pair are well used to partnering up from their days of Monkton cricket, although Cat’s white line fever seemed to have developed incredibly since then. Cat got off to a purring start, with a caught and bowled. I believe a chance came again in his second over, as the ball took a thick edge to whizz over the head and just past the hands of Trasssh in the slips - after which things started to go rather downhill for the hissing feline. GK was yet to get a wicket and proving costly in his 2nd and 3rd over with batsman Greg punishing anything outside the line and shortly getting his 50. However, the tide changed in GK’s fourth over. The six balls boasted variation, whether it was tactical ingenious or sever lack of consistency we will never know but either way Greg wasn’t able to get on the end of it, coming across his wicket to a late inswinger that saw him dismissed with an LBW. GK finished his spell 1-21 and Cat 1-35

Runky started with two maidens to keep Sanderstead at bay, but his wicketless despair increased when Spinach dropped a sitter hitting him on the chest, and further aggravation as Aesch, paddled Runkie’s balls over the reach of square leg again and again and again. One could hear Baron bemoaning the lack of class in the skipper’s shots and finished 0-34 from 6. Greasy’s pace seemed to be increasing as his overs went on, and In his fourth over his just reward came, with a beautiful ball just clipping the top of off stump. He could have had a couple more wickets had buttery spinach not dropped a sitter or GK held onto a low slip catch. Greasy finished with fine figures 1-21

At this point in the game, despite our best efforts, the oppo were starting to run away with it a bit. A . Trash’s first ball equalled a wicket, Motty showing resolve under the spinning ball . Dabbler and Pob had an over, and the forty overs came to an end, Sanderstead on 196-7.

It had been decided that tea wasn’t going to be provided on this occasion on account of the annual post-match curry we had lined up. 197 runs needed to win meant we needed to put our best foot forward and not concede to the usual Pecker’s collapse.

Enter Dabbler and Dibbler. Dibbler, Dabbler’s older brother, was on his debut for the Pecker’s, and had fielded excellently. He looked very tidy considering he hadn’t played in about 11 years, until brother Dabbler ran him out for 8. Lamby who had kept excellently stuck around for a while until an LBW shout saw him trotting back to the pav for 8. We were now well behind the run rate something like 27 for 2 from 1. Greasy was caught behind for 3 and left us looking very vulnerable indeed. Thankfully Dabbler had been keeping the score ticking over and when he was joined by Trash things started to look up

His 1st scoring shot was a straight drive that rocketed past the open-mouthed bowler. He tried to score off his first dozen balls, was almost caught at gully and I uttered from square leg that he was allowed to play a defensive shot. Aesch then asked him ‘Do you know any?’ He was seeing the ball like a beach ball in a master class of technique and before long utterances of ‘hang on we might still be in with a chance’ and ‘wow we’ve somehow pulled it back’ began on the boundary – all the while POB was conducting a rendition of Sweet Caroline in the background with someone, he claimed used to babysit him….!?!Dabbler was going nicely as well, hitting a huge cover drive over the hedge for 6 but alas the partnership came to an end, Dabbler walking back on 37 having been caught behind. Up steps Cat who hit some nice boundaries and quick runs, before being bowled for 19 to make way for GK. Our wickets were staring to run out and so too were our overs. Trash settled down after the early onslaught, made his first Pecker’s 50 and was then caught.

POB came to the crease and both him and GK set about keeping up with the required rate of 7 , and had to resort to getting full value through energetic running, putting on 42 off 6. The run rate required stayed on 7, the sights now on what could be a very close finish. With that in mind the oppo brought on a couple of handy bowlers which got the better of POB for 16. Spinach took to the crease who was soon abandoned by GK who was caught on 25. The score at the point was the following:

183 runs off 38 overs for 8 wickets.

So, we needed 14 runs from 2 overs. Still 7 an over. Motty came on, hit a four in his first shot, played a couple of singles, a two and was then caught on 8.

192 runs off 39 overs for 9 wickets.

5 runs to win from 6 balls.

Enter, Runkie at the non-batting end.

Spinach to face. Greg to bowl. Spinach hits 2.

3 runs to win.

Greg to bowl

Spinach to swipe.

4!

Spinach had redeemed himself from the howlers in the field. On his birthday weekend he slapped the ball over mid wicket to guide the Peckers to their second victory of the season with just 3 balls to spare. Twas truly one of the greatest games I have ever played, followed by one of the greatest curries I’ve ever had. We had the full team round the table at the Panahar (+Aesch) for a glorious meal. We go to the HAC this week with 2 from 2, hoping to keep our winning form. Well done all, up the Peckers! https://woodpeckers.play-cricket.com/website/results/5116329