Sunday May 9 v Marlborough Blues, at Marlborough - Lost by 4 wickets
Sherborne Pilgrims 178-9; Marlborough Blues 180-6 (G W Barker 67)

Having perished at the first round of the Cricketer Cup in 1998, despite the valiant efforts of the previous year (a four-run defeat at Tonbridge in the third round), the fixtures secretary decided that an additional warm-up game was required if the Pilgrims were to approach the main competition with enough practice behind them. It was therefore agreed that the Marlborough Blues game should be moved from its previously meaningless date, being the Sunday before the first day of the Week.

Fifty-two invites were sent to ascertain interest in participating in the forthcoming first round and nine of the 16 respondents duly arrived for our first trial match at Marlborough. Cricketer Cup rules were agreed between the skippers and with Marlborough fielding nine of their proposed competition team, a hard-fought game was anticipated.

Having been inserted, Charlie Warren and Will Hargrove opened the batting, the latter offering to replace Atwell, whose South American influence results in him not being able to function before lunch in early May. The Pilgrims got off to a flying start, scoring 31 from the first seven overs, including a fantastic square cut for six by Warren off the nippy Radcliffe, which thumped into the Pavilion side bank.

Hargrove fell to a cavalier shot off Hey, the other opening bowler, in the eighth over with the score on 33. His dismissal was compounded by Hey's final analysis of 6-0-50-1, including 12 wides and a couple of amusing overs when he couldn't remember how to release the ball. Tweedale came to the crease having scored a hundred the previous day, but he found Ratcliffe slightly more testing than the Purton opening attack. His attempted third ball late cut was gladly accepted behind the wicket and the score was 39 for two.

Warren continued to bat gloriously while Atwell nudged away his early-season stiffness and the score cruised to 69 in the next five overs before Warren was adjudged leg-before to the left-arm spinner Thicknesse in the fourteenth over. A familiar story was beginning to unfold as the friendly Pilgrims were one by one allowing their companions a chance for time at the crease. Atwell and Preston, the latter playing his first game for the Pilgrims for eight years, both perished for single-figure scores, leaving the middle and lower order 34 overs to boost the score from its lowly tally of 89.

James Scorer and Paddy Knechtli batted together for a dozen overs but could only put on 17. Will Wingfield Digby looked badly out of touch and it was no surprise that the score subsided to 114 for seven by the 39th over. Nick Peters, making a welcome return to Pilgrims cricket after too long away, and Bagnall then batted sensibly around Charlie Dowdall, who played a watchful and increasingly fluent innings that resulted in a second-highest score of 25 not out. Dowdall's timely knock pulled the score up to 178 for nine at the end of the allotted 55 overs, a total some 40 runs short of what was required on a slow wicket, but one that had appeared out of reach earlier in the day.

Peters and Knechtli opened up for the Pilgrims and soon proved that the Blues were going to have to graft for their victory. Apart from seven offside wides, Peters bowled a nagging line and length while Knechtli looked really threatening at the other end. The latter deservedly accounted for both openers and Marlborough were struggling at 38 for two in the eighteenth over.

The bowling continued to be extremely tight with Dowdall and Bagnall keeping the home batsmen quiet, but no further wicket fell as the score progressed towards the hundred mark. With overs running out, the pedestrian Guy Barker decided to try for one big over; unfortunately for Bagnall, he whacked 18 off the bowler's last six balls and the game had swung decisively.

Preston eventually accounted for Harris (38) and Barker, whose innings proved to be a match-winning 67, but the remaining batsmen were required only to amass an additional 37 runs for victory. Preston and the excellent Knechtli both struck again, but Marlborough's target was finally reached in the 52nd over with the home side winning by four wickets.

With the exception of Hargrove, who was awful, the bowling attack had looked extremely promising, and clearly Hargrove was waiting for another day. Warren apart, much batting practice and a tightening of technique was needed if the Pilgrims were to approach the Cricketer Cup with any sort of confidence.

Sunday May 16 v Radley Rangers, at Radley - Won by 6 wickets
Radley Rangers 256-8 (J W M Dalrymple 101, J T A Martin-Jenkins 69*); Sherborne Pilgrims 257-4 (J R Tweedale 119*, J D Ricketts 103*)

When your correspondent arrived at 11am, expecting to be twelfth man (while supposing that he would end up playing), he was amazed to find nearly ten Pilgrims already changed and busy at work in the nets for this second Cricketer Cup warm-up match. After watching some fearsome bowling by Paddy Knechtli, he looked forward to a gentle nine holes of golf with Bagnall. However, a few minutes later he found himself fielding at second slip once the Pilgrims had inserted Radley Rangers with Morton still not having arrived.

A fiery opening spell by Peters and Knechtli reduced the Rangers to 13 for two, which would have been three had Morton not dropped a sharp chance at slip as soon as he had arrived. Dalrymple, the Radley 1st XI captain for 1999 and someone about whom more would be heard later in the season, and Hollis took the score to 87 before Preston had the latter caught trying to hit over the top.

Martin-Jenkins arrived at the crease to join Dalrymple, who began to hit the Pilgrims bowling to all parts of the ground en route to compiling a fine hundred before lunch - a partnership of 85 in only 13 overs. Just before the interval, though, Dalrymple, who had already been dropped again by the hapless Morton, swung across the line to Freeth and was bowled. 172 for four off 36 overs was a sound base for the Rangers but tight bowling after lunch by Ricketts and Freeth, and straight bowling in their return spells by Peters and Knechtli saw only 72 runs added in the last 15 overs, and despite an anchor innings of 69 by Martin-Jenkins, Radley were restricted to 256 for eight.

After the Pilgrims' abject batting in this fixture in the previous season, nothing was taken for granted, but surely captain Ricketts would have hoped that his batsmen could get close to a run-rate of less than five an over. Yet after Morton's day had turned worse, bowled for nought, and Macpherson and Will Wingfield Digby had also lost their stumps to Henson, things were looking none too rosy at 36 for three after ten overs. While Tweedale and Preston steadied matters, at tea the Pilgrims were 74 for four off 22 overs with another 183 still required.

Fortified by the break, Tweedale and Ricketts - both of whom got off the mark with boundaries - took the game by the scruff of the neck and proceeded to accumulate wonderful unbeaten centuries; Tweedale's took 155 balls and Ricketts a lightning 112. Ricketts ruined Henson's bowling figures (8-0-32-3 became 12-0-84-3), including four massive sixes, three of them in one over. It was a most dominant display of batting and the shellshocked Rangers left the field in the 48th over after conceding 52 runs off 28 balls.

Sunday May 30 - Cricketer Cup first round v St Edward's Martyrs at Sherborne - Won by 75 runs
Sherborne Pilgrims 214-9 (B D Atwell 89; O M Slipper 4-32); St Edward's Martyrs 139 (J D Ricketts 4-22)

This was a thoroughly competent start to the year's Cricketer Cup campaign. The margin of victory was justly merited in what was essentially a fine team performance on a damp day on the Upper. What is more - not something that has been true of Pilgrims' games in the past - the home team looked the more professional side, both in attitude and preparation. It boded well for the games to come.

Ricketts won the toss and opted to bat, a sensible choice in view of the excellent batting wicket and the virtual certainty of rain, even in the form of light drizzle, that would reduce the pace of the ball off the square and make runs harder to come by later in the day. That was highlighted graphically by the dramatic decline in Atwell's strike rate before and after lunch: before the break, he was scoring freely (74 runs off 111 balls), afterwards, he struggled for any fluency in compiling runs and became so bogged down that his dismissal for less than the century that he deserved was almost inevitable.

But it had been Atwell and Charlie Warren's opening partnership of 99 in 21.3 overs that laid the foundations for victory - and, in the end, proved decisive. The swiftness with which they gathered their runs, allied to judicious running (for the most part), set the tone in the morning when the best of the weather was in evidence. Warren always lived a little more dangerously while Atwell added to his collection of fifties on the Upper with little difficulty.

Few other Pilgrims batsmen matched these two; as the tempo needed to be raised, the pitch was getting progressively harder to score runs from. Most got started - Ricketts in particular - but none went farther than 23; credit, though, to the Martyrs' bowlers for sticking to their task despite some occasionally woeful ground fielding. But a total of 214 for nine looked eminently competitive in the conditions.

Just how hard it was to score runs became apparent immediately when the St Edward's opening pair scratched around for what seemed like half the innings. Their stand yielded a paltry 31, and it was a merciful relief when Smith got out. Never did the visiting team find any gear other than first, with the notable exception of Drake-Brockman, whose clean hitting - ably supported by Wethey batting at seven - briefly threatened to make a contest of it. The latter's dismissal, however, was the beginning of the end, and just after 7pm, the final wicket tumbled.

Sunday June 13 v Hampshire Hogs, at Warnford - Lost by 4 runs
Hampshire Hogs 280 (M T C Allom 135; R A Bagnall 4-86); Sherborne Pilgrims 276 (W P Hargrove 67, J R Tweedale 67; M McCowen 5-40)

This was a fantastic game of cricket played on a really hot day at the Hampshire Hogs' picturesque Warnford ground. The Hogs won the toss and chose to bat on a wicket that frequently yields plenty of runs. The Pilgrims' hopes that the tranquil setting might lead to a quiet relaxing morning in the field were soon blown away by the hitting of Allom.

The fixtures secretary clean-bowled his counterpart in the first over, but it was about the only ball that dominated the bat in the entire morning session. Allom, who had been seen lying prostrate before the start after his exertions at a wedding the previous day, decided to take his hangover out on the opening attack and so it was that the Hogs were 101 for one in the eleventh over. Bagnall went for two enormous sixes straight back over his head as Allom quite simply swung his bat at anything that pitched in his half of the wicket; it was savage.

Bagnall resorted to slow left-arm in desperation and the enforced tactic immediately worked as Lloyd-Jones, rather stupidly expecting the ball to turn, played outside a straight one and was adjudged leg-before. At the other end, Nick Macpherson, an excellent left-arm spinner at school, was asked to try and remember his forgotten craft. Despite his protestations about "only batting these days", he bowled pretty well and went for 59 from his seven overs, a miserly spell for the morning session. He persuaded his brother Toby to catch his first wicket, Findlay Hughes (a Pilgrim) for a scratchy three, and then, rather more importantly, got Allom to sky one to Colin Keatinge. The score at this stage was 169 for four from a mere 23 overs and Allom's personal tally, 135; an incredible knock.

After lunch Pexton, who had refused to bowl earlier, and Keatinge turned it into a "normal" game of cricket and the Hogs' middle order had to work for their runs. The opposition was reduced to 191 for seven and suddenly the Pilgrims were in business. The Hogs' tail soon put an end to that as Hughes' younger brother, batting down the order because he was to open the bowling, played aggressively for 44 of the 89 runs that the last three wickets yielded.

The substantial total of 280 had been posted in just 46 overs, so while slightly daunted about chasing such a target, there was plenty of time. The Pilgrims got off to a poor start with Newbery being dismissed in the fifth over for eight with the score on 22. This brought Nick Macpherson to the wicket to join Hargrove. Their partnership of 91 in 19 overs was dominated by good placement and fantastic running between the wickets, and not only was it good to watch, Tweedale and Goodeve-Docker followed suit in the same manner. Macpherson was caught in the deep for 40, Hargrove bowled for 67, but this seemed only a minor setback as the Pilgrims batsmen galloped after the imposing target.

At 235 for three in the 45th over, Goodeve-Docker was out for a well-constructed 29, which left the revised target as 46 from ten overs, with Tweedale batting effortlessly at the other end. Unfortunately the complexion of the game changed the very next over, when Tweedale was controversially given run out for 67 when he looked to have comfortably completed another quick single.

At this stage the opening bowling pair of McCowen and Hughes had returned to the attack and could smell a collapse. The Pilgrims were rather obliging. Wingfield Digby, Toby Macpherson and Bagnall could muster only six at one end as James Pexton tried, in vain, to steer his team to victory. He batted in his usual insouciant manner, crisply striking the ball through extra cover before he, too, was run out for a spirited 23. With six runs needed off the final over, Keatinge got the second ball away for two, but was bowled by McCowen two balls later, the bowler's fifth wicket, and one which left the Pilgrims four runs short.

A disappointing collapse, but with 556 runs scored in the day for the loss of 20 wickets, no one could deny that it was a stirring game of cricket.

Sunday June 20 - Cricketer Cup second round v Old Merchant Taylors' at Sherborne - Won by 9 runs
Sherborne Pilgrims 171 (J D Ricketts 67, J R Tweedale 53); Old Merchant Taylors' 162 (S P Ducat 64, A J Brand 57; W P Hargrove 7-9)

Andrew Wingfield Digby's career in cricket extends back over a number of decades and has involved a wide variety of fixtures. But after mature reflection in Skipper's later in the evening after the conclusion of this match, he pronounced it "the most extraordinary game I have ever played in". There have been dramatic collapses by one side in a match in this competition before - and Pilgrims have often been that side - but rarely have there been two, of almost identical nature, which set up a stunning finish that would have been staggering at any level of the game.

The day began in unmemorable fashion. Twenty minutes' rain over the Upper at breakfast time was never actually threatening and the game began in good time - with Old Merchant Taylors' warming up like a true club team (they compete in the Thames Valley League), winning the toss and inviting the Pilgrims to bat. First ball was short and punched through the covers by Warren; second ball was of good length, wide of off stump - no stroke, violent in-ducker, clean bowled. Enter Leeke to join Atwell, a partnership that promised good things until the bowler, Thompson, found Atwell halfway down the wicket alongside him and ran him out easily for a cameo 16. Ricketts was determined to dominate the bowling and encouraged Leeke to do likewise until the latter gave short fine leg catching practice in the thirteenth over with the score on 53.

But by lunch Ricketts, now partnered by Tweedale, had displayed some fine strokeplay and had moved the score to 149 for three, from 35 overs. With fully 20 overs still to bowl, a big score looked in the offing, particularly desirable since the rumour was that OMTs were a better batting side than bowling. This scenario took a setback when Ricketts was bowled by Thompson in the third over after lunch for a solid 67. But with some batting still to come, it was by no means a disaster. Posting a big score looked much less likely two overs later, with Hargrove (two balls), Rydon and Wingfield Digby (three each) all not causing much concern to the fielding side.

At 163 for seven, much depended on Tweedale if the total was to breach 200, but the feeling from the boundary was that he thought he was about to be left high and dry: net result, an uppish cut and a catch to cover five runs later. Peters and Jackaman scraped three runs between them, while Freeth never faced a ball. Seven wickets had fallen for ten runs from 50 balls, with still 9.2 overs of the allotted 55 available.

OMTs began brightly, despite losing Baxall to an express delivery of Rydon's in his second over. Brand, their captain, joined Ducat and they played steadily through to tea almost exclusively against seam bowling - Freeth and Ricketts together bowled just two overs before the interval, which was taken after 25 overs with OMTs well placed on 90 for one. Ten overs later, Ricketts was at his wits' end, both batsmen looking comfortable and both having reached their fifties.

What followed reminded older observers of the story concerning Ray Illingworth, when leading Leicestershire, who brought on Jack Birkenshaw in a hopeless situation - the result was that Birkenshaw took four for six and won the game, with the accompanying press headlines lauding Illingworth's inspired captaincy. What the former England captain had actually said to Birkenshaw was "lob 'em up, Jack, t'game's boogered". Ricketts accordingly tried Leeke (four runs and a wide off one over) and then handed the ball to Hargrove, who was only playing because Rintoul had cried off with a damaged wrist.

Hargrove had been chuntering away in the scorebox area within the hearing of the retired senior pro for some time and he came steaming down the hill only to be belted by the OMTs captain high to deep mid-off where a grateful Ricketts took a comfortable catch. At 135 for two, the ball was still very much in the visiting team's court, though. Jaggard had been waiting with his pads on for two and a half hours, and one might say he was unlucky even to touch the next ball through to Jackaman. Three down. Hargrove's second over followed a similar pattern, two consecutive balls taking wickets - one bowled, the other caught behind (141 for five, and now it was getting interesting).

But Hargrove was not done yet. In his third over, Ducat fell into the same trap as Tweedale and cut to cover. Hargrove had taken five wickets for four runs from 14 balls and the OMTs required 24 runs with four wickets in hand. Retrenchment was in order for the faltering visitors: Walter and Knowles duly buckled down against Freeth (who completed his 12 overs for 32) and Hargrove. Having scored just 12 runs in eight overs, Hargrove had Walter caught behind and Knowles ran himself out as the run-rate ground to a halt. The thought did occur to some that OMTs might even run out of overs (they needed 12 off the last five).

Rydon came back to account for Sapra and then Thompson hit the first ball of Hargrove's ninth over straight to Ricketts at mid-off to complete a most improbable victory. Hargrove, just three weeks after getting married, ended with the incredible figures of 8.1-3-9-7. This is the second-best analysis in the Cricketer Cup's history, only Uppingham's Ashworth (8 for 42 in 1991 against St Edward's Martyrs) bettering it.

For the Pilgrims, two players scored 120 runs, two others 34 and the rest managed six between them, with 11 extras. The OMTs innings was even more unlikely, with two players scoring 121, the other nine just 21, with 20 extras. A nine-run victory with 17 balls left - as close as that. Needless to say, OMTs did not come to Skipper's afterwards, missing not just Wingfield Digby's words of wisdom, but also the slow recovery of the Hon Secretary from near heart failure. It was a shame that there were so few Shirburnians and OS present to see this extraordinary contest - thanks to the eight who did watch some part of it; with around 20 followers, OMTs put us to shame.

Saturday July 3 v Sherborne School at Sherborne - Won by 3 runs
Sherborne Pilgrims 180; Sherborne School 177 (P G Gidney 56, T R Dowdall 52)

With the School playing more and more limited overs cricket, it was decided that this game at Commem. should follow the same format of 50 overs. There was a comment before the start of the game by the School coach, wondering whether the fixture should be played at the beginning of the season so that the Pilgrims would consist more of the Cricketer Cup side and therefore be more valuable experience for the boys. Touché.

The School won the toss and elected to field. Bristow and de la Hey, the grandfather of this side, opened the batting. It was a shame that Bristow was out cheaply, having been in decent form before the match. Thankfully de la Hey and Pugh built a solid platform and were just beginning to accelerate when they were both dismissed, to leave the Pilgrims on 56 for three. Scott and Shearer then took up the gauntlet, the latter in particular playing well, when again the Pilgrims handed wickets to the opposition, a silly run-out being the best of the lot. Newbery, opening bowler in his days at the School, had declared himself a batsman beforehand. He did not have much chance to show his new-found skills, and if you had to be a bat you might wish to retire to his ownership. One of the top six should have gone on to make more runs, but yet again the Pilgrims were floundering at 101 for six.

Enter Charlie Dowdall, who smashed a belligerent 29 before falling at the last hurdle seeking quick runs, his only consolation being that his brother did not remove him. The tail chipped in with useful runs before losing Edlmann to another run-out, the third of the innings, with the score on 180. Par for the course was probably 200, with a score of 220 realistic on an improving wicket. Thomas was the pick of the School's bowlers, taking a firm grip of the game early on.

In reply the School lost Adams without troubling the scorers, inexplicably fending a long hop from Edlmann to a gleeful Scott at square leg. Ambrose opened the bowling at the Pavilion End with his leg-spin and restricted the flow of runs, although Tom Dowdall batted extremely well, suggesting that perhaps the Dowdall brothers can become the Waughs of Sherborne. [Editor's note: although the author was referring to the twins who have done so much for Australia's cricket over the past 15 years, he was clearly unaware, or had forgotten, that there has been a Waugh of Sherborne in the past - Alec, who was an outstanding schoolboy cricketer in the 1910s before the First World War robbed him of his enthusiasm and his best years.]

At 79 for two, you would have thought that the School might have been cruising, but Reece-Smith had other ideas and, backed up by Charlie Dowdall and some extremely competitive fielding, brought the Pilgrims back into the game. Newbery then bowled a fantastic spell, finding great rhythm and control to maintain the pressure.

It all boiled down to the final over, with nine to win and Gidney, on fifty, batting fluently after being slow early on. Two off the first ball - the deep cover fielder contriving to make a tight single into a comfortable two without misfielding the ball. Gidney smashed the second ball gloriously for four through extra cover and looked destined to play the role of hero. Sadly, the next ball he ran himself out. The fourth ball was adjudged a wide down the leg-side (Newbery joining the World Cup-wide fever - ever one to follow the fashion). Unfortunately the last two batsmen had turned into a pair of lemmings, Rees run out by de la Hey off the wide.

Cricket at its best. Should the School have won? Definitely. Should the fixture be moved? Definitely not. Pilgrims cricket is like the curate's egg, painful for those in the same team but always a great spectacle - bring on the entertainers!

Sunday July 4 - Cricketer Cup third round v Radley Rangers at Radley - Won by 1 wicket
Radley Rangers 225 (J W M Dalrymple 77; P L C Knechtli 4-46); Sherborne Pilgrims 226-9

After the exploits against Old Merchant Taylors', there seemed little prospect of this quarter-final match being a rival for drama. How wrong can you be? In the end, it took a good dose of luck, a great deal of nerve, and a crucial moment of misjudgement by the Radley Rangers captain to allow the Pilgrims to advance to their first appearance in the last four of this competition.

Two years ago the same two sides met in the second round and played through some inclement weather in a reduced-overs contest. On arrival in Oxfordshire, it was not long before the threatening clouds overhead began to leak and the prospect of a delayed start was very real. Fortunately the rain relented and, although play eventually ended just after 8pm, there was only one other interruption during the day, around tea-time - and no overs were lost.

Ricketts won the toss and inserted the Rangers on a sound track. MacDowel fell early to a straightforward catch by Hargrove off Knechtli but Bellhouse (who was dropped in the third over by Andrew Wingfield Digby) and Dalrymple - who had left the College only a day earlier - proceeded in contrasting styles well past the 50 mark. Dalrymple looked a class act: comfortably the best batsman on show for the home side, he attacked with relish and played some delightful shots in front of the wicket. Hargrove (again) was the man to make the initial difference, removing Bellhouse's bails with the first ball of his fourth over and then trapping Martin-Jenkins leg-before with the first ball of his fifth over, starting an unhappy day for the Radley skipper.

Reed struggled pitifully for half an hour for just six (two scoring strokes from 31 balls) before Ricketts ended his misery by persuading him to sky a catch to the substitute, one R A Bagnall, who was actually on the pitch for almost the whole innings because Rintoul was suffering from food poisoning. With the home side lunching on 113 for four after 34 overs, the morning session was very much the Pilgrims'.

It got better soon afterwards, too, as Rydon and Ricketts took a wicket apiece to push Radley back to 130 for six, with Dalrymple an aghast observer from the far end, watching his colleagues give their wickets away. Enter wicketkeeper Dearden, who soon got stuck in and played a valuable little innings, scoring 38 off 44 balls in good time, making an excellent foil to Dalrymple, who had - unaccountably - not been given the lion's share of the strike. Given that he made 77 from 121 balls, it seems not unreasonable to suggest that had his colleagues been more intelligent, he might well have made the century that his performance deserved.

Some lusty hitting by Nash bolstered the Radley total to a not-quite-adequate 225, Knechtli returning to mop up the tail, and Ricketts snaring Dalrymple (the eighth wicket to fall) with a well-judged catch by Wingfield Digby out on the backward square leg boundary. It looked a good enough wicket for 250 to be a respectable score, but the Pilgrims were unhappy not to have finished their opponents off when the chance was there. Ricketts manoeuvred his troops well, but no one bowler was genuinely incisive and the ground fielding could have been a little bit snappier.

But it was a confident pair of Rintoul (at last able to represent the Pilgrims in this competition) and Warren that began the reply. Rintoul looked in effortless touch, dispatching the bad ball with elan (although he was dropped in the eighth over at slip) and racing to 33 before Van der Gucht broke his defences with a more than useful ball. Atwell soon followed, two balls later, muttering low oaths about the sportsmanship of Dearden behind the stumps. Leeke and Warren consolidated well, however, with both playing positive shots and running hard.

The rain returned during this partnership, which unquestionably worked in Radley's favour, as the outfield slowed up and rain did get onto the wicket, as the umpires looked to ensure that 20 overs were squeezed in. On resumption, Leeke, who as ever had made batting appear quite easy, and again looked set for a big score, went trapped by Goldsmith leg-before. Warren had departed in Goldsmith's previous over to a smart stumping for a workmanlike 45. But at 115 for four, as Radley had proved, there was still a way back.

It did not feature Ricketts, who was inexcusably run out, nor Hargrove, who played too ambitious a stroke to Goldsmith and was bowled. Tweedale, though, was in control and playing competently, and was now joined by Rydon, who cannot have had a more fortunate innings in his distinguished career than this one, but who rode that luck magnificently in the denouement.

This pair came together in the 36th over with the score at 145 for six and the run rate creeping ever upwards. Nine overs later, they had added 40 to the score and Tweedale got himself out, caught off Dalrymple's persistent, if not always threatening, bowling. But the key moments - as it turned out - had already happened. Martin-Jenkins, who had done more than most to get Radley to this stage of the tournament, made three critical errors of judgement. He dropped Rydon at a deepish mid-off in the 39th and 41st overs, both easy chances. Immediately after this second error, he inexplicably brought himself on to bowl. In three poor overs, he conceded 20 runs and allowed the Pilgrims to gain confidence after being battered by the accuracy of Goldsmith - who bowled superbly with three for 36 from 12 overs - and the wiles of Van der Gucht. He was to drop a third, much more difficult chance as well, but the damage had been done.

So with Tweedale's departure, 41 runs were required from a little more than ten overs. Wingfield Digby was caught in the deep for eight: 24 needed from exactly four overs. Jackaman was given run out - an unbelievably bad decision given the state of the game and the fact that he was well in, the umpire beguiled by the brilliance with which the bowler diverted the throw onto the stumps - for two: 12 still required from 15 balls. The fifth ball of that 53rd over was vital; Rydon, still able to see the ball well enough despite his uneven innings, hammered it back over the bowler's head for a glorious six, nerve still intact.

Five runs from two overs and the balance had surely swung back to the Pilgrims, albeit with just the one wicket in hand. Nash then bowled an excellent over, conceding a single to Rydon and a wide. Three from the last over, to be bowled by Dalrymple, Rydon on strike. Dot, dot, single. Two needed from two balls (although one would technically have been enough because the Pilgrims had lost fewer wickets). Dot, dot and then, in the brilliant late-evening light, Knechtli memorably slammed the ball through the extra cover area for two (Rydon urging him to come back for the second to make absolutely sure) and a roar from the Sherborne part of the pavilion.

Another entertaining game of cricket against Radley, played right to the wire, and it put the Pilgrims into the semi-finals of the Cricketer Cup for the first time. Bagnall had identified such a target as the minimum for the season in his book, and his efforts were well rewarded. If there was to be disappointment against Bradfield, it had been a great run.

Sunday July 11 v Old Tonbridgians at Tonbridge - Lost by 44 runs
Old Tonbridgians 205-8 dec (A T Hunter 59); Sherborne Pilgrims 161 (R C Kemp 4-49)

Having lost the toss on a bright, warm, sunny day at the always immaculate Head, the Pilgrims were asked to field, potentially for quite some time. The Tonbridge innings started well, nudging their way to 48 before the fall of the first wicket, to Hargrove. The young Pilgrims side fielded well with only a couple of exceptions. After a surge from the seam bowlers, Hargrove and Edlmann, and an inquisitive spell from Morton, the day settled into an onslaught of flat, turnless off-spin from Warren and Dowdall. Just the type of slow but not really slow bowling that Shirburnian "spinners" seem to specialise in. The highlight of the day in the field was a superb stumping by de la Hey off Dowdall to remove Hunter for 59. Warren at the other end had a wonderful first few overs with early figures of 6-5-2-2 which slowed the Tonbridge innings considerably. Eventually at 205 for eight the declaration came, after 61 overs.

The Pilgrims reply started well with a little assistance from the Tonbridge opening bowler, whose first over was 15 balls long and cost nine runs (a maiden bar the extras). De la Hey continued his good work with a well-timed and well-run display, amassing 48 before being caught off the bowling of Kemp, who was to record a vital four for 49 from 13 overs. The rest of the upper order all made a start - Shearer a stylish nine, Scott a good 14 and Bristow a promising 28 - without any of them going on to produce the match-winning innings. Hargrove was unlucky with a toe-end going into the ground then landing down on the stumps while he was still wondering what had happened. Following this, the end came quickly despite the shot of the day by Dowdall, a six over long-off that would have comfortably cleared the sightscreen. The last four wickets fell for just one run.

Having fought well for the first three-quarters of the day, the capitulation was disappointing - but with the Week in Sherborne just around the corner, soon forgotten.

Monday July 12 v Old Blundellians at Sherborne - Drawn
Old Blundellians 259-4 dec (A R Giles 103); Sherborne Pilgrims 208-9 (J R Tweedale 122)

The week started with the traditional fixture against an Old Blundellians side strengthened as usual with several ringers from the Devon League. The Pilgrims had youth on their side: six tour virgins, eager to impress, joined ranks with several other young(ish) Pilgrims to make what looked a strong side.

The Blundellians won the toss and batted first on what was a decent pitch. Bagnall and Edlmann opened up and bowled tightly, gaining reward with an early wicket. This brought Perera, a Canada international, into bat, and it was immediately plain that he would punish anything wide of off stump - something not readily heeded by the Pilgrims attack. Fradgley replaced Edlmann, who was suffering from sore shins, and bowled at a lively pace without greatly troubling the batsmen.

As lunch drew near, with the game stagnating, Bagnall decided that it was time for Tim Clark to bowl his first over since leaving the School. Having lost weight and pace, but not the run-up, he bowled one of the worst overs ever to have graced the Upper. Putting it down to rustiness, Bagnall gave him one more. But alas, the rigmarole was repeated and so to spare him further embarrassment and the close fielders serious injury, Edlmann returned. Meanwhile Jim Warren was brought on at the other end and promptly removed Perera for 44.

At lunch, the visiting side had scored 103 for two with Giles, last year's centurion, unbeaten on 35. The post-lunch performance was less than impressive, allowing the Blundellians to plunder 156 in just 27 overs. Giles completed another century without ever batting particularly well, and, assisted by some lusty blows from Akerman, the innings was declared closed on 259 for four at roughly the halfway stage.

The Pilgrims began their response confident that victory could be achieved. This soon became less likely once Charlie Warren had lost his stumps in the third over with the score unchanged from 0. This brought Tweedale to the wicket and allowed him to play a quite superb innings, woefully let down by a succession of batting partners. Tweedale compiled 122 from a total of 161, the score when he was the fifth wicket to fall. From that point on, the Pilgrims were struggling. This was reinforced after a couple of needless run-outs and an ugly swipe from Edlmann to be bowled as the ninth wicket. Bagnall and Jim Warren were able, with aplomb, to see out the innings and claim the draw.

Tuesday July 13 v President's XI at Sherborne - Won by 5 wickets
President's XI 149 (W P Hargrove 5-26); Sherborne Pilgrims 150-5 (J E Scorer 52*)

The Pilgrims won the toss and inserted the President's XI on an overcast morning. Fradgley and Edlmann opened the bowling brightly. Butler and Warren, however, were equal to the task and saw off the new ball without alarm. Indeed, when the first wicket did fall, it was not without good fortune: with the score on 40, Warren tickled finely for what he thought would be several runs. This would have been the case if it had not been for a sensational catch by Ben Scott, diving full-length to his right. Hargrove removed Butler in his next over to bring Thorne and Tweedale together. Nor did they last long; Goodeve-Docker lured Thorne into a false shot and Hargrove trapped Tweedale leg-before (somewhat dubiously).

Between these two dismissals, Goodeve-Docker also had Nurton caught in close; Hargrove removed Jim Warren to leave the President's XI reeling at 77 for six, with the distinct possibility of their being bowled out by lunch. Peters and Wingfield Digby then set about proving that it wasn't all that difficult to bat until the over before the interval when Fradgley struck, bowling Peters to bring the lunch score to 98 for seven.

Afterwards, the Pilgrims lacked the killer instinct, allowing Wingfield Digby and Kitson to score freely. Three overs after the reintroduction of Fradgley and Hargrove, however, it was all over, a total of 149 achieved and Hargrove with figures of five for 26 - a great effort considering his exploits the previous night.

The Warren brothers opened for the Pilgrims, faced with the contrasting attack of Peters and Bagnall. The former bowled with genuine pace and swing; the latter has never been known to have either, but kept it tight. The brothers were clearly struggling in the deepening gloom; Peters produced a beauty to remove John Warren, who could only deflect the ball behind to protect his good looks. It seemed inevitable that Peters would have a hatful until he strained a hamstring, much to the Pilgrims' good fortune.

It was thus plain sailing for the Pilgrims, with the exception of Charlie Warren, who seemed completely out of sorts. Not even the short break for rain could save him and it was a great relief to everyone concerned when he finally slipped over and was run out. Somehow he had scored 32 out of a score of 82 for two. With Scorer proceeding steadily at the other end, Scott came in and hit a brief 27 before missing a straight one. Scorer did the rest, finishing on 52, while Pugh and Goodeve-Docker missed out.

This was a game full of good humour and spirit but most importantly it highlighted the popularity of the Week, with 19 Pilgrims of many ages participating.

Wednesday July 14 v South Wales Hunt at Sherborne - Drawn
South Wales Hunt 194-9 dec; Sherborne Pilgrims 161-8

A dark and dank day saw a strong South Wales Hunt side win the toss and choose to bat. Hargrove, whose side consisted of many bowlers, selected Peters and Elliot-Square to use the new ball. Both bowled well, restricting the batsmen but without that vital bit of luck. A change at both ends saw two quick wickets, more a matter of cumulative effort from the opening bowlers than any wonder-balls by Clark or Hargrove. 42 for no wicket was now a far better 44 for two with the Hunt captain, Ricketts, back in the pavilion - a good thing as he has scored two centuries against the Pilgrims in the past.

Wickets fell steadily but the Hunt managed to get a few partnerships moving along; the game looked to have swung the Pilgrims' way at 157 for seven but the Hunt fought well to make a very fair declaration at 194 for nine from 53 overs. Eight bowlers were used, among them Tweedale, whose performance reminded everyone why he must not bowl for at least another year.

The Pilgrims' opening pair of Goodeve-Docker and Saunders strode to the wicket confidently, although word had got about that the Hunt's opening bowler was a little faster than perhaps one might have liked. Ali, the bowler in question, was later discovered to have played for Pakistan A. He was also left-arm over, to make matters more complicated, and it took one, maybe two, balls for the batsmen to summon helmets. The only man enjoying it less than the batsmen was the wicketkeeper, 26 yards back and suffering that familiar low bounce of the Upper.

The openers were brave, committed and resolute in putting on 58 before Saunders fell leg-before for 23 - to the other opening bowler, as so often happens. Morgan soon fell, as did Goodeve-Docker for a well-earned 32, constructed over 100 minutes. From here, five wickets fell at regular 10-15 run intervals, no one getting less than three or more than 13. Tweedale remained, looking arguably the most confident against Ali, scoring 31 not out (asking the question as to why Hargrove batted him at eight); Peters kept him company at the other end but the target was never in reach and the Pilgrims finished some 30 runs short at 7.15pm.

Thursday July 15 v Dorset Colts at Sherborne - Lost by 144 runs
Dorset Colts 294-4 dec (C Holcombe 112, C C M Warren 73); Sherborne Pilgrims 150 (S W D Rintoul 88; T Sharpe 5-36)

Hargrove's miserable run with the toss continued (three failures in five days) but things did not start so badly for the Pilgrims in the field, breaking the opening partnership at 33 after a good bowling start by Hargrove and Fradgley. This brought Holcombe to the crease and he was a long time going, striking the ball cleanly, mostly in front of the wicket. The second wicket went down at 116, Dover falling for 46, but the pace of the innings had been well set, those runs coming in just 27 overs.

The seminal partnership of the innings came together for the third wicket, with Pilgrim Warren joining Holcombe. In the past, Bagnall's wiles had conspired to reduce Warren's effectiveness, but this time Warren survived, although it needed a simple catch to be dropped by Hargrove off Rintoul to set things in motion. The bowling was not poor but the Colts' batting was just too good. Warren was finally run out by Ben Scott for 73 and Holcombe perished after a deserved century, but the score they had amassed was imposing, to say the least. Charlie Dowdall had been the most economical of the home team's bowlers, with analysis of 11-1-37-0.

The Pilgrims' reply faltered from the start and at 69 for six was looking embarrassing before Stuart Rintoul rescued matters with a classy 88, more than all the rest of his team-mates combined. Sharpe had figures of five for 36 (having taken four for 15 with the new ball) and did more than most to ensure the inevitable (and heavy) Pilgrims defeat well before the close. Credit to the Colts despite the Pilgrims' poor showing: they were determined and dominant.

Sunday July 18 v Charterhouse Friars at Charterhouse - Cancelled

Cancelled because of the Pilgrims' involvement in the Cricketer Cup semi-final.

Sunday July 18 - Cricketer Cup semi-final v Bradfield Waifs at Sherborne - Lost by 36 runs
Bradfield Waifs 272-5 (R M F Cox 130, J R Perkins 79); Sherborne Pilgrims 236-8 (J H K Adams 56)

For the first time in the competition's 33-year history, the Pilgrims had reached the last four. One fairly comfortable victory and two wins born of great team spirit and doggedness had resulted in a semi-final appearance on the Upper against the might of Bradfield Waifs.

The Pilgrims made three changes from the quarter-final team, with Garlick, Freeth and Adams (who had left the School not three weeks earlier) coming in for Rintoul (Dorset commitments), Wingfield Digby (christening his grandson) and Hargrove (omitted despite his second-round heroics); Peters was also unavailable, thus denying the Pilgrims the chance of fighting former first-class fire with that of the opposition.

Mark Nicholas, the former Hampshire captain and now TV pundit, won the toss and elected to bat; the home side took the field expecting a hard morning, but looked eager after an earlier net session, fielding practice and team talk from Ricketts. After six overs, Garlick and Knechtli seemed to have settled into a good rhythm with only one boundary conceded, that by another former Hampshire man, Rupert Cox. At 22 for no wicket from eight overs, the game-plan of containment was certainly working.

Garlick was replaced by Rydon at the Pavilion End after conceding seven from each of his previous two overs, while Knechtli continued to toil without luck at the Westbury End. His seventh over saw the pendulum swing decisively away from the home team as Cox, having struck one boundary in the over, was completely squared up and nicked the ball to Atwell at slip; the chance was spilt and Cox ended the over with another handsome four.

Rydon temporarily lifted the gloom by having the dangerous Bridgman well caught by Warren for 24 in the over; this left Bradfield on 60 for one from 15 overs, but even at this stage, the spectators were wondering how much the Pilgrims might suffer for their generosity. Perkins joined Cox at the crease and the pair added 174 for the second wicket in 34 overs. Adams, for two overs, Freeth and Ricketts, with much longer spells, all tried in vain to stem the flow and containment became increasingly difficult.

Perkins looked the more attacking player while Cox seemed to play a tip-and-run game, not even worrying about boundaries. Their running between the wicket was outstanding - only occasionally did it border on the rash and even then the ball failed to hit the stumps from direct throws. Cox scored his 50 from 60 balls, Perkins soon followed from only 71 and as the partnership proceeded and the overs diminished, so they could both afford to take more risks and open their shoulders - which is exactly what they did.

The Pilgrims' bowling was certainly not poor and the only criticism could be that occasionally the ball was bowled on both sides of the wicket, but not that often; the batting was brilliant and the gaps in the field were found too frequently for there to be any semblance of fortune. If there was a fault, it could have been that our outfielders were too deep, thus allowing the batsmen to return for a second constantly, where a closer position or quicker fieldsman should have prevented it from happening.

Garlick returned to the attack in the 49th over and immediately accounted for Perkins, who had made an excellent 79. Cox had already reached his hundred, a superb innings containing only six boundaries. In his next over Garlick bowled Came first ball but that just brought Mark Nicholas to the wicket. Fifteen runs came from the next three overs before Knechtli cleaned out Nicholas with a cracking ball. Unfortunately a further 19 came from the final two overs and not even the inevitable run-out of Cox for a fantastic 130 could detract from the enormity of the task that lay ahead.

At 3.40pm, Charlie Warren and Jimmy Adams strode to the crease with the task of making a substantial dent in the Waifs' final total of 272 for five from their allocated 55 overs. There was very little bat on ball at the beginning of the innings, but thanks to 13 sundries from Denning and Oscroft, the Bradfield opening bowlers, after eight overs the score was 22 for no wicket; exactly the same as the Waifs.

While Adams was slowly starting to push the ball into the gaps, Warren was struggling. With his normal fluent strokeplay having deserted him, it was no real surprise to see him out in the eleventh over, trying to force Denning away; even less surprising, Cox took the catch and Warren's innings of 6 from 35 balls came to an end.

This brought Atwell to the crease with the score at 30 for one, knowing that he and the Pilgrims debutant at the other end had an enormous job to do to keep their team in the contest at tea. Atwell scored two from his second ball and, having watched Adams block out a maiden, struck the first boundary of the innings in the fourteenth over.

Accumulation was required, as Bradfield had shown, with their positive running between the wickets, interspersed with occasional boundaries. This was exactly what the home spectators were treated to; the change bowlers, Carpenter and Nicholas, were easily milked for four an over before an assault by both batsmen on the former pushed the score from 65 to 81 for one at the end of the twentieth over. Carpenter was replaced by Graham, but the score continued to tick along and tea was taken at the end of the 25th over with the Pilgrims having reached 101 for one.

Adams and Atwell appeared to have changed the course of the game and at tea, the Bradfield dressing-room was considerably less upbeat than that of the Pilgrims. After the break, Oscroft returned to the attack and in the 28th over, the game turned again. Atwell majestically stroked Oscroft through the covers for what he thought was to be his fifth boundary. Unfortunately, the ball was six inches off the ground and a dive at full stretch from point resulted in a stunning catch and the end of Atwell's innings for 31. You can guess who took the catch: the irony was lost on nobody; 108 for two.

Steve Leeke joined Adams at the crease and, once more, while the batting was by no means dazzling, the batsmen rotated the strike intelligently and a well-placed offside boundary brought Adams a well-constructed and thoroughly merited half-century.

With the partnership at 23 from less than six overs, Leeke pushed the ball into the offside and set off for two; the problem was that he hesitated on his way back and the return throw beat him to safety. It had been the first occasion that the Pilgrims had really attempted to test the fielding side and Leeke had been run out for ten. The dismissal seemed to clarify the difference between the two sides. While Bradfield had started with the intention of stealing runs, it was almost as if the Pilgrims had only decided to take risks once behind the run-rate. If the running between the wickets had been as positive and decisive throughout, Leeke's dismissal would not have been in vain. Instead, three wickets had fallen with another 141 still needed from just 21 overs and the Pilgrims, albeit subconsciously, stopped running risky singles and the subsequent pressure to hit boundaries was relentless and too much.

Justin Ricketts came in; it was now clear that Adams had to drop anchor and allow the big shots to be played from the other end. You can imagine the Pilgrims captain's dismay when Adams tapped one back to Graham, the bowler, only four balls later. 130 for two after 33 had become 132 for four an over later. Although he had batted really well on his first appearance for the Pilgrims and made 56 in a Cricketer Cup semi-final, if only he had known how many times in recent years the Club has batted similarly - two settled batsmen getting out at the same stage of the innings.

With Ricketts on one when Tweedale joined him, the innings had to start all over again and the next three overs saw nothing but singles as the two played themselves in. Big overs were desperately needed; Graham went for seven in his eighth, Nicholas the same in his last over, the 39th. Tweedale was beginning to look his imperious best at this point and when Bridgman came on to bowl the next over, it was dealt with severely. Tweedale struck two glorious fours, 12 came off it and the bowler was immediately replaced.

The Pilgrims were suddenly right back in the game needing 107 to win from the final 15 overs with six wickets in hand. What followed was almost inevitable. Bradfield brought on Came to bowl his slow leg-spinners from the Westbury End; just before his first ball he posted a deep midwicket to prevent temptation. It would be fair to say that there was staggered amazement around the ground as Tweedale smashed the first ball straight down that man's throat. It was a rash shot in the extreme and with Tweedale batting so well, almost unbelievable that he could not have first had a look at Came's bowling.

Denning accounted for the crestfallen Ricketts, trying to guide one through the vacant second slip region and the Pilgrims were left requiring a further 92 from only ten overs. Rydon was joined by Jackaman and they put on 33 in the next six overs before Rydon was bowled by Came, going for a big one. Knechtli came and went, leaving Freeth to play out the remaining three overs with Jackaman, who ended up with a commendable 20 not out. The match ended at 7.30pm with the Pilgrims 36 runs short on 236 for eight from 55 overs.

It was a tremendous effort getting to the semi-finals but at this stage the Pilgrims were found out by a better side. Although "catches win matches", it would be wrong to pick this out as the only difference between the teams. In all forms of cricket, let alone limited-overs, positive running between the wickets is crucial; Bradfield were exemplary. When fielding on a large ground, the boundary-saving fielder cannot always afford to stand on the rope, and again the Waifs realised this and posted their outfielders anything from five to ten yards in, depending on age and speed. Steve Leeke found this out to his cost, but when the Pilgrims were in the field, two runs were almost always conceded to the man coming in from the deep.

This more professional approach almost certainly accounted for the 36-run deficit, and more than made up for an ordinary Bradfield bowling attack. It is absolutely vital that the Pilgrims learn from these experiences in 1999, so that continued success in this competition is assured. The first round in 2000 is a trip to Rugby Meteors, the 1998 runners-up. The Meteors dished out a humiliating defeat that year in the first round and the same fate will await the Pilgrims this time around unless at their best. Rugby fell at the first hurdle in 1999, which will ensure that they will be anxious to bounce back. Let's hope that Bradfield have given the Club a lesson that will not be forgotten.

Tuesday July 20 v Old Cliftonians at Clifton - Won by 3 wickets
Old Cliftonians 205 (N E L Howe 69); Sherborne Pilgrims 208-7 (J M A Fradgley 58*)

With the exception of the experienced Rob Kitson, the Pilgrims fielded one of its most youthful teams against Old Cliftonians on an indifferent and inclement day at Bristol. The once excellent Clifton pitch looked no better than the poor surface that was encountered last year and so, having won the toss, Hodges elected to bowl. In short, the quicker bowlers did not get what they deserved. In particular Fradgley and Edlmann bowled enough good balls, at what were some very ordinary batsmen, to have knocked Clifton over for a very low score. As last year, however, Clifton scrambled together some sort of total to defend. How they reached 205 is difficult to explain, but 30 extras did not help the Pilgrims' cause.

With strong batting (on paper), the Pilgrims looked more than equal to the task and as the chase commenced at 4.06pm, confidence was high. At 6.05pm, defeat seemed inevitable. At this stage, Richard Edlmann joined John Fradgley at the wicket and together they batted in a partnership with tempo, patience and attitude perfectly attuned to the situation. Chasing a target has unique pressures and these were amplified by every lost wicket. To put on 72 for the eight wicket in only 13 overs was an outstanding achievement. Fradgley's 58 not out was chanceless and filled with graceful shots on a pudding of a track. Edlmann's honest appraisal of his usual batting performances meant that even he was shocked at such a great display.

A Pilgrims victory through character and perseverance is a none too common occurrence; in previous years it was a game that would probably have been lost. Kitson, the next man in, would say otherwise but the non-appearance of Bagnall, who claimed that he had to work the odd day during the cricket season, effectively made Kitson last man. Luckily this horrible thought never became reality and a fairly comfortable-sounding three-wicket win was achieved.

Sunday August 1 v Bluemantles at Tunbridge Wells - Cancelled

Sunday August 15 v Cobham at Cobham - Won by 23 runs
Sherborne Pilgrims 151-9 dec; Cobham 128

The annual fixture against Cobham is the traditional late-season pilgrimage. How long this stays the case, especially with NPL Teddington providing the premier fixture for Pilgrims at this time of year, remains to be seen. Cobham started badly by losing the toss, went from bad to worse by asking the Pilgrims secretary for a ball, and capped a fine three-card trick with a fracas in the bar that saw off their umpire.

Thorne and Warren seemed the ideal combination to open the innings. Seemed. Warren left the first ball and it was called wide. He played at the next one and lost his leg stump. Danger still lurked as the pitch was slow and the outfield overgrown; Thorne was bored. De la Hey nurtured him for eight overs before inevitably holing out. Wingfield Digby and Dowdall laboriously tried to move the score along but against Kumar's crafty leg-spin, the ball was difficult to get away.

Both batsmen perished trying to force the score and this allowed Hargrove a moment of glory: a magnificent straight six through the bedroom window of one of the new Wimpey Homes surrounding the ground. A few lusty blows from Peters and another not out for Bagnall saw the Pilgrims to their declaration after 45 overs.

Bagnall took the Cobham reply by the scruff of the neck and ripped out two batsmen before they had time to take their guard; he had a third before running out of steam. He was backed up by Peters, whose first few overs were bowled in the girls' dormitory, but he slowly loosened up and eventually worked up real pace to take a brace of wickets. The only batsman to trouble the Pilgrims was Hunt, who smote 31 before Hargrove took two quick wickets to end the match as a contest. The Cobham last man entertained the slips for a few overs before Peters came back to finish him off with a catch by Thorne at short leg.

Sunday August 29 v NPL Teddington at Teddington - Won by 4 wickets
NPL Teddington 246-4 dec (J A Kumar 119); Sherborne Pilgrims 247-6 (C C M Warren 82*, N H Peters 57*)

This second match between the Pilgrims and NPL Teddington proved to be as enjoyable and exciting as the first. The demand to play in the fixture was such that Bagnall, Hargrove and Atwell were able to defect to the hosts, for whom they play on a regular basis. This move was perceived to have had decisive consequences in a nail-biting finish and called into question the allegiance of Bagnall in particular.

In glorious late summer sunshine and on a flat batting track, Peters and Edlmann struggled in vain to make an early breakthrough. Jak Kumar showed his first-class pedigree from the start, delighting everyone except the bowlers with his style and colourful array of shots. Champion, too, batted with time to spare and both batsmen took a particular liking to Edlmann, who seemed relieved to be withdrawn from the attack.

The introduction of Hodges, captain for the day, unfeasibly accounted for Champion with possibly the worst ball of the day. Atwell joined Kumar at the crease and the pair enjoyed the fruits of Will Wingfield Digby's offerings (another NPL player) and helped themselves to runs while Dowdall found his line. Towards lunchtime Tweedale and Dowdall tightened up proceedings, but NPL were cruising untroubled and happy to take a fine lunch on board.

Shortly after the interval, Levy ran Atwell out for 30 in a terrible mix-up and Gardiner fell to Keatinge. Philips then accompanied Kumar as the professional powered to an awesome century. His range of shot increased and his audacity grew, so much so that when a quick good-length ball from Peters was dispatched some distance over the mid-wicket car park, there was a marked shortage of volunteers to bowl. Peters persisted, though, and eventually got his man for 119. If the Pilgrims thought that their troubles were over, Hargrove had other plans, plundering 41 in no time to enable the hosts to declare at 246 for four from 51 overs.

The Pilgrims reply was as turgid as NPL's finish was climactic. By tea, there was only 60 on the board from 25 overs. Bagnall delighted in accounting for Thorne and Bowles fired up the inevitable banter by bowling his first 12 overs for 13 and taking the scalp of Scott. A crucial decision was taken during tea to allow the Pilgrims another 15 minutes to catch up with the run-rate. This resuscitated the match and appeared to wake Warren from his slumbers.

As Warren awoke, so Tweedale was playing a typically cavalier innings, reshaping what had gone before; suddenly batting looked easier and the game was alive. With Tweedale's dismissal for 41 came a flurry of wickets: first Dowdall, then Wingfield Digby. Hodges retired hurt, unable to cope with the verbal abuse, allowing Peters to stroll to the crease with 11 overs to be bowled and some hundred runs away from NPL's tally. The former Surrey man took a real liking to the bowling, smashing Hargrove and Day to all parts, rapidly reducing the odds of a Pilgrims victory together with the target. Warren, with masterful concentration, stepped up another gear and joined in the barrage.

With five overs remaining and the target now 50, Bagnall was chomping at the bit to return to the attack. Regrettably for his "adoptive" side (once a Pilgrim, etc), Bagnall's stiffness prevented him finding his line immediately ... and so it was that the Pilgrims were able to edge past their hosts to win by four wickets in a dramatic conclusion to the season.

Reports by Ben Atwell, Rupert Bagnall, Patrick Gent, Robert Hands, Will Hargrove, Phil Hodges, Charlie Warren and Will Wingfield Digby.