7.30am, no birds singing, open the bedroom blinds and peer outside – dull drizzly and not at all promising, but a coach to catch at 9.30 so get bodies into action and get moving.

It did not look much more promising on the drive into Kendal – rain, rain – however across the bay towards Carnforth we could see blue sky (well bluer sky!!!) so maybe just maybe we would play.

Onto the bus and we were heading south, first stop was Endmoor nearly running over our Captain and then been treated to a description of how the cow in the field had just given birth whilst waiting for Chris Evans. We were waiting for Chris not the cow!

Off again, and the weather was improving, collected Dylan, Sam and Matty Snr at Crooklands. Shaun had to re-dress Dylan as his tie looked like he was off to school!

Weather improving all the time and we whizzed off down the motorway feeling much more optimistic. The Carnforth ground looked a picture and having secured the home dressing room (courtesy of Adam making a call Saturday night) we enjoyed bacon and sausage buns for breakfast. – Yummy Bacon – thanks Carnforth. The sun is out, cup of tea, read the paper, have a team photo, all nice and relaxed. Let’s go and get changed but where are the opposition?

Toss the coin, good call Jason, have a look at the track – hard enough but it had rained a lot so the outfield would be slow, never mind we had got here by batting first so why change a winning formula, batting it is, so far so good.

Good crowd, burgers on the BBQ now and everything set for a cracking day.

Adam and Brax opened, good 1st over 0-6 and could have been more but Adam kept picking the fielder rather than the boundary. 5 runs from over number 3 and 8 from overs 4 & 5 so 0-29 from 5, good start, setting things up for 130-140. 9 from over 6 – 0-37. Over 7, Brax takes a single then Adam is out bowled. No problem its 20/20 not a test match. Dot ball then Ian is off the mark with a 4. 2 quiet overs, still it’s 1-48 from 9, Simon, Jason, Kev and Chris still to bat so everyone is happy.

Enter Jim Kettlewell. Dot, dot wicket – Ian stumped, dot, dot, dot. 7 from the next over then – wicket, Simon is out caught, wicket – Brax out stumped & Kevin to face the hat trick ball – how he loves facing hat trick balls!!! He survives but the score has slowed to the pace of a tortoise - let’s hope it’s a case of hare and tortoise! 12th over, 4-56, 13th over 4-63. 7 overs left and we need at least 40 more, 50 or 60 would be better – things are not quite as rosy now. Over 14, wicket maiden, Kev out caught, so it is Jason and Chris at the crease for the 2nd time in 2 days – can they push the score? 14 from the next 2 overs, 5-71 but then Chris becomes Kettlewell’s 5th victim. At least he is bowled out but we still have to try and get at least 30 from the last 4 overs.

5 from over 17 and 10 more from over 18 – then Jason is out to a cracking catch that looked like a 6 all the way. 2 from over 19 so we have not yet made 3 figures and only 6 balls left. 4 from the 1st ball of the 20th then a wicket and then just 2 more – so 102 and at least 20-30 under par. Our bowlers and fielders were going to have to put in performances equal to Kirkby’s. We just HAD to win the coach was not booked till 7pm!!!

Andrew Matthews ends 15 no but his injury has returned so will not be able to bowl – really bad news. Jason to Dylan “you are going to have to field” it was like seeing a child in a sweet shop – he was off out on the field like a whippet.

They need 103 to win but it is still over 5 an over so not easy.

Johnny Matthews opens the bowling and 2nd ball he strikes – glancing shot down leg and Kev throws himself at it and holds on – 1-0. Good job it was his left hand!. Over 2 and Jason gets strike number 2 – good catch by Simon in slips 2-3. Tracey is sat with the camera over at the score box decides that she needs to stay exactly where she is as wickets seem to be falling. Maiden from Johnny and just 5 from over 4. Just 4 from Johnny’s 3rd and the Jason sends one so wide it goes for 5 wide extras OH OH watch those extras they only bowled 8 in total. Next ball he makes amends by having Wileman caught by Adam.

Simon replaces Johnny (1-6 from 3) and nearly balls a maiden, just 1 wide but then a cracking run out by Shaun to get rid of Gabriel. Now it’s Brax turn, having to ball because of Matty’s injury. 1st ball – wide, dot dot 4 dot dot dot – not bad. Simon has just 3 from his next. We are keeping them behind the run rate but we still need wickets.

Brax 2nd over, 1st ball and he has a big appeal for LBW against Pease – the umpire thinks long and hard, you can hear a pin drop, then he slowly raises his finger 5-41 big big breakthrough –3 balls later he bowls Metcalfe, 6-44 from 10 - so much for part time bowlers!

So they need 58 from 10 overs with only 4 wickets left but Derek Williams is still there so we need to work hard and keep things just as tight. By this time Tracey has got back to the pavilion and decides that the time old tradition of a trip to the bathroom to get a wicket is needed! It works!

Chris Evans into the action, 2nd ball and Beaumont is no more 7-48. No more wickets from Brax and Chris but the score is still low and 5 overs later they are 7-66 from 15 and need 35 from 5. Brax has bowled his 4 for 2-10 – he should take up bowling full time!! Simon returns – yet another wide ball but the extra ball gets rid of captain Tim Kerr to a superb diving catch from Sam Portmann at 3rd man – he was bound to catch it though as dad has left the ground! 8-70 but Williams is still there. Time for another trip to the bathroom! It works again! Chris Evans bowls the 17th and Sam stars again – he runs out Derek Williams with a direct hit at the bowlers end throwing from fine leg! – dad missed that too. 9 down and 30 needed.

Simon bowls the 18th – 1, no ball, dot, dot dot then Colin Johnson launches one to cow corner from the 7th ball – 9 from the over.

19th over, Jim Kettlewell – 4, 2, 1 – only 15 needed from 9 balls (why oh why have we bowled 25 extras!) Come on boys the silver wear is within our grasp. Colin on strike and his runner (captain Tim Kerr) is at square leg. The ball is hit to mid wicket, Jim Kettlewell runs a single, the runner is ball watching, striker does not move. All 3 end up at the batsman’s end, Dylan – his moment of glory- fields and the ball heads towards Johnny who manages to catch it and remove the bails.

Jason dashes into the wicket – what happened? We won, we really won, 102 and we won. Great performance, superb fielding and catching and boy did we have to dig deep.

Matty Snr has to put his pint down and change back into his whites for the presentation! Collect the trophy – Dylan gets one too! Then back in to our smart shirts and ties – well all except for captain Jason – do you want to explain Jason? – something about “they fitted before my holiday”. A few beers and burgers and watch the next match.

The beer is flowing & the cricket is good – then it rains – we don’t mind we've got our trophy – where is the trophy/ - ah outside in the rain under an umbrella!!!

Time for home – the coach is waiting and the rain is pouring and the beer is flowing! Off we go – all in good spirits and in good voice – might only have been 20 of us on the coach but it sounded like 50 – and we had gained a few –though Joe had missed the match as he was somewhere over Holland he had made it back in time for the celebrations and is certainly making the most of them.

The driver was persuaded to drop the core revelers in town – the trophy went home with Jayne – and the celebrations went on well into the night. You can’t knock bringing home the bacon. Well done boys.