At the advertised starting time nineteen people and one scorebook were present, and Thursdaynighters were eager to start in case it got dark. It would probably have been playable at a quarter past ten, but as their missing player, our two missing players and our scorebook were not expected soon, there seemed no reason to delay. Rob, captain in Duncan's absence, lost the toss: Toby reluctantly put on the keeper's pads, and we began. Even with only seven outfielders, neither Kevin nor Anura was easy to play, and at the end of the second over Anura broke through, with a sharp catch by James Coughlan at point. A second wicket for Anura in his next over was followed by the arrival of Steve Lyle. We never did find out where he had been, as he left before we could ask. Kevin somehow contrived to get no wickets but gave nothing away. Gregory and Steven Penrose were a little easier to score off than Kevin and Anura had been, but not much, and they got wickets too.

It was not until fifteen overs in, by which time Owain had turned up, having gone home to get the scorebook, that rum things started to happen. Traditionally the moustache was banned in the Royal Navy although beards were allowed (in the Army, the other way round); but times change, and a moustached bloke lashed two fours and a six off Gregory, all pursued by Kevin, who got rather fed up. But that was as good as it got for Thursdaynighters: Rob bowled tidily and although they lost only five wickets, they made no more than 114 in their 20 overs.

They did have bowling, though. James and Owain started cautiously against accurate bowling, but they stayed there. The fielding was less good and that helped our score along. The first moment of real interest came with the introduction of spin from the Ralph Allen School end, in the form of one Ursula. She knew what she was doing and could also throw to the middle from the long boundary, which few others on either side could. Remembering what happened to Ian Bezodis last time a woman bowled competently to us, we feared the worst. It was not long in coming, but it came in the form of a run-out. The confusion was so complete that it was impossible to say who was more to blame. Perhaps the best estimate is that had either of the batsmen behaved sensibly and the other done what he did, there would still have been a run-out. Steve Lyle and the survivor, James, became even more cautious; but they stayed there, and never completely lost sight of the target. Eventually Steve fell, but Kevin gradually raised the pace, aided by a bowler with the yips (he sent down five deliveries before his first legitimate one, but didn't look as if he couldn't bowl). They did have one last chance: a very straight medium-pacer who kept one end very tight. The critical moment came when he strayed fractionally to leg and Kevin on-drove him for four: somehow, after that, they stopped believing they could win, and Kevin and James took us comfortably home.