Aldworth: a quaint village with possibly the smallest pub in the world.

On arrival most of the team indulged in a few pints of the very black, Pilgrim favourite, mild. There followed detailed discussion of how our batsmen should deal with reverse swing – presumably international calibre bowlers have cut their teeth here in the past.

Thus mentally and physically primed the Col and Daisy made their way to the crease only to be greeted by a local medium pacer who liked to pitch it short. (The Colonel assures me he was fast and dangerous – ed.)

Richelieu

The ‘expectation gap’ must have impacted on their concentration, and that of Cus-Cus, since all were out in quick succession. Penthouse came to the crease looking to wrest control back – unfortunately, while his batting looked solid his running was amateur, and he was run out for one (ish).

A glance at the scoreboard revealed that the Pilgrims were ten for four and reeling.

Briefly it looked as though Gussie and Whippet would build a match-saving partnership, but that hope was dashed when both were out playing silly shots to average balls.

Talleyrand

At 40 for six things looked dire and the tail had to wag, which it did. Moggie was the epitome of shot selection, consistently smashing poor balls to the boundary while rarely risking his wicket with anything rash. His 35 or so was ably supported by Clarence, who managed to make a quick-fire 25 before succumbing to a good ball.

The Pilgrims stumbled across the century mark to set a small but defensible total of 103 all out. This was laudable – at one point even 60 had looked to be out of reach.

Metternich

As an added bonus for the visitors the umpires declared that eight overs were to be bowled before tea. Gussie and Whippet opened with the kind of controlled aggression and guile which they had missed for so much of the season. The opposing batsmen looked under constant pressure and by tea they had scrambled to 20 for one, with chances going down.

Some quick wickets after the interval led to a score of 40ish for five, and things looked in the balance. Both sides had a chance – the question was who could step up and deliver.

Answer: Clarence.

After early fitness doubts he started turning his arm over to magical effect. The rest of the game was a blur but Aldworth were all out for 76, and Clarence ended the day boasting figures of four for three, a personal best. Hansie had also chipped in with a wicket.

Bismarck

In the end, the result was never in doubt. A new team spirit and never-say-die attitude seemed to pervade the dressing room afterwards – an encouraging sign for next season.

Magnanimous in victory, the Pilgrims handed a win in the beer match to Aldworth. Plus ca change...

Man of the Match: Clarence