It was one of those days. Everything seemed to go well. This is, of course, highly unusual for the Sundowns on the first day of the season.

We were playing Hatfield Crusaders, a new game to our fixture list. To take a chance on 11 men turning up, and turning up early enough to travel to Hatfield on a cold Sunday in early May, was the first task of the day. And it was, somehow, successfully completed. Well done Smiler.

The map produced to guide us on our way, distributed by Smiler, was of course wrong.

But due to a dash of luck and a very strong "fair" wind blowing across Hatfield, all parties turned up on time and were dutifully changed ready to start at 2.15pm.

The Sundown changing room rang to the familiar tunes:
1) "Any spare jumpers?"
2) "Who wants to Skipper today?"
3) "Smiler, you go out for the toss, I can't be bothered"
4) "F**k it's cold today"
5) "Will we bring porn for swaps next week?"
6) "Jesus, they look young"

The above can be attributed to Mick, Mark, Gareth, Mick, Dave and Gareth, in no particular order.

Anyway, to the game. Smiler won the toss and inserted Hatfield. Hatfield's opening batsmen spanned both ends of the talent spectrum:

Connor – mid-40s, pot bellied, very non-athletic stance and little talent.

Moran – early 20s, lean, athletic and bags of talent.

Dom Pilgrim soon made inroads removing Connor (not for the first time), Dave Reed taking a smart catch falling forward at cover.

Hatfield's second wicket began to build a partnership. Their main tactic for this was to target the hapless Gareth Williams. Mr Williams was suffering from several very notable problems.

Firstly, he was sporting a borrowed short sleeve shirt and sleeveless jumper. The sub-arctic wind howling its way across Roe Hill Hall was, I think, howling with laughter at Gareth's lack of suitable attire.

Secondly, the excesses of the weekend were hampering any possible enjoyment of the game for the G-man.

Thirdly, the excesses of a lifetime were having an adverse effect on the general running and bending ability of this "once great sportsman" (G's words I believe).

The sum of this strategy was singles turned into twos and twos into threes.

By now the game was crying out for Sundown's skipper Mick McGowan to make a change. Mark Naisbitt replaced Cattell and duly prised out Eames and, shortly afterwards, Pedlar.

Both men - bamboozled by Mark's many years of experience - were clean bowled.

Opening batsman Moran continued to look a "class act" for Hatfield, and this was corroborated when his 50 came - out of Hatfield's total of 62.

McGowan brought Steve Golding on, up the hill. His five overs, going for only 20, failed to penetrate the growing partnership between Moran and Jacobs.

McGowan then gambled on a more ambitious route to break the partnership - Dave Reed.

Having not bowled for at least two seasons, and suffering a swollen foot from an earlier blow by Moran, Dave, unfortunately for Sundowns, disappeared for 33 from his two wicketless overs.

Not to worry. Cattell was recalled along with the talented Medlock. Suddenly, from sniffing a total of 200 plus, Hatfield were reined back. Medlock removed Jacobs (41) and Moran (a fine 81) - both men victims of the alert skipper behind the stumps, taking a smart catch and dislodging the bails to stump Moran.

At the other end Cattell got Cummimgs for nought, thanks to a well-taken Smiler catch. This atoned for an earlier slip chance that saw him nutmegged.

The Hatfield innings was completed when Medlock disposed of the last two men, to nab himself five for 15. The two wickets were due in no small way to a diving one-handed Mark Naisbitt catch at short mid on and another stumping from McGowan. Hatfield finished on a mediocre 162.

Sundowns started slowly against accurate bowling, and lost the normally reliable Herlihy for two, edging opener Jewel to the keeper. Steve Golding kept the vigil going, managing to leap off the mark in the eleventh over.

Sundown's surprise number three (that is: surprise to the man himself), Jani, hit a quick-fire nine and narrowly missed his promised (to his girlfriend) goal of double figures - oh well, no celebratory shag for this young man.

Even less likely to have sex for high achievement was debutant Paulo Manzi, who unfortunately saw his timbers burnt to a cinder by the first ball he faced. Paulo - it can only get better!

At 55 for four Sundowns were not exactly favourites to win.

However, a patient and spirited partnership of 108 (two short of a club record for the fifth wicket) from Medlock and McGowan saw the visitors home with 10 balls to spare. The 38th over proved to be decisive with McGowan plundering Cooper for 18.

And so to the bar - not a bad little hostelry for a village hall. A lack of real ale was a problem for several members of the team. Filling out Upton CC World Cup tickets wiled away an hour, and produced a brief tantrum from Mark Naisbitt who had filled out Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Australia as possible winners of World Cup 2002 in Japan and Korea.

The team departed for Ollies Bar in Finchley (the club sponsors) to regale their stories of the day.

The Winners:
Well surely yours truly, five for 15 and 41 no.

Mick "skipper who doesn't toss" McGowan, two stumpings, a catch and 42 no.

Mark Naisbitt, two for 24 from eight overs and a catch.

The Losers:
Paulo Manzi, a golden duck on debut.

Dave Reed, 0 for 33 from two overs, a very sore foot and berated from the boundary rope by his son "master Jack" (age seven). Head up Dave - on a positive note a good catch.

Gareth Williams, did not bat, did not bowl and 42 very cold non-enthusiastic overs in the field.

Andrew Vernon, deciding a weekend on the Wirral was a better option than the opening day of the season (will he get his place back?).

Ann Whitbread, no sex until the skipper gets out!

Tune in next week to re-live the encounters of Sundown Specials v Alexandra Park II.

© Tony Medlock 2002