Tidey bowling gag gets tiresome after a while, as Washington crawl over the line in a game that went on longer than, maybe, it should have…

In years gone by we used to turn up for a fixture against Washington and expect to win by right.

Over the last couple of years their team has been rebuilt and strengthened to the extent that we now turn up with a list of tactics as long as the proverbial arm.

Smiler won the toss, and on a hot day, decided to have a bat.

Smiler and I opened the batting. The elder of the Tidey brothers, with proud dad holding the camera on the boundary, opened the bowling down the hill for Washington. At the "Bathard" end the less pacey Stoughton plied his trade.

We struggled to move the score on very quickly despite a six from your correspondent into the adjacent gardens from Stoughton.

With the score on 30, Smiler was caught, as result of some tidy bowling by Tidey (I had to say it once and may use it again!).

More of the same tidy bowling (there it is again) accounted for myself, and after 20 overs we were 43 for 2.

This left the two V's, Vernon and Vassey, at the crease. Neither lasted too long. Vassey falling to some more "Tidey" bowling. This time from the younger family member Rob.

Mike McGowan and Jani, in contrasting styles, started to rebuild our innings, until Mick got a shooter from Stoughton, and lost his off stump. Total 97 for 6.

Jani continued in his now familiar cavalier style and raced to 19, his highest return for the Specials, before Irons accounted for his leg stump. The scores are getting better Jani, next target 25.

If we thought that Jani's innings had been a case of raising your game above it's natural limits, we were to be astounded one more time.

The watching Specials players had been predicting an all out of 110 to 120 when Steve Golding was joined by Paul Ferdenzi.

Steve we were looking to guide us through to a total, with Paul holding up the other end.

However Paul reached back into the dark recesses of his brain and recalled his last substantial innings for us in 1981 (27 not out). He proceeded to play some shots that amazed the gallery. A couple of back foot punches through cover would have graced a far greater stage than Southover.

Golds at the other end produced some fine shots of his own including a remarkable "flick pull" for six into the gardens.

Smiler declared our innings on 161. PF not out 26 and the Cat not out 6. Steve had earlier been dismissed 8 short of his 50.

We went to tea thinking we had half a chance.

Dom Pilgrim, having seen Nick Tidey operate well up the hill in his second spell, decided to try a spell from the "Bathard end". Six overs none for 39 proved an unsuccessful experiment.

The Cat at the other end was struggling to contend with bowling down the hill.

Washington were literally making hay with our bowling. They raced to 90 before Demetri fell under the Ringo Tailor magic spell, and Jani took yet another catch this season.

Your correspondent came on down the hill and picked up a couple of quick wickets to give us some hope.

The burly Irons however had other ideas, smashing several sixes and fours. He ruined my figures and Washington's total shot up to 141, just 20 short of our total, with sixteen overs left to play.

Smiler decided our only hope was to give Dom a run from his favourite end, down the hill. As he handed the ball to Dom he muttered, "Let's at least get them 5 or 6 down and make it respectable".

Dom obliged in his first over with the important wicket of Irons for 44. Normally in this column I describe how Dom sent the wickets cart-wheeling or pinned a batsmen LBW. This was different. Irons smashed the ball skywards towards long off, where Smiler had cunningly placed our most agile fielder, Ringo Tailor (52 years young). Ringo sprinted (?) in from the boundary rope and nonchalantly pouched the catch.

Dom obviously smelt blood because his run up now started a few yards shy of the boundary rope.

Dave "the cat" Cattell was also back to his favourite "Bathard" end. He was now producing his legendary tight line and utilising the Southover ridge.

These two bowled 5 maidens on the trot whilst prising out a couple more wickets each. Washington were 9 down still needing three for victory.

The tension was building. Smiler had turned from a downtrodden skipper into a General marshalling his troops with whoops of joy every time a wicket fell.

We were unlikely to bowl through our overs without conceding the runs so we needed the final wicket. Cattell and Pilgrim continued to mount the pressure and the Washington players stood watching on the boundary stunned by events.

One man for Washington kept his cool. Gary Evans turned Cattell to the short legside boundary and our valiant comeback effort was over.

If truth be known we hadn't deserved to win the game. We had batted poorly, with a couple of notable exceptions, and to leave our bowling burst so late was suicidal.

On to the days winners and losers;

The Winners:
Jani - his personal top score for Specials

Golds - defiant 42

Paul Ferdenzi - rolled back the years (I am thinking of phoning Channel 4 to see if they want to make a documentary about this rejuvenated all-rounder)

Dom - fantastic second spell 7-4-7-4.

The Losers:
Unfortunately Sundown Specials!

Next week we have our favourite away fixture, a trip to Highgate woods to play Black Rose, on what must be one of the most picturesque grounds in London. We are all hoping for a sunny day, which always makes fielding more pleasurable at this ground, as many a semi-naked young lady can be spotted topping up her tan. You never know we might even publish a few piccies on the site.