With their normal home pitch at Langton falling victim to leatherjackets, the game was switched to Hawkenbury where an interesting-looking wicket had been hurriedly prepared and a low-scoring thriller was to play out.

With Captain Minty away, David Ellis reluctantly picked up the captain's armband and he achieved his first mission by winning the toss and sending Langton in to bat on the spicy track in a 35-over game.

Harry Bailey made his Eridge debut and Sam Martin also made his first appearance of the season. Ellis picked himself to bowl the first over down the hill and after a powder-puff first ball was wafted at and missed by Richard Dizzy Arnold, the next ball scuttled along the floor and his the luckless leftie bang in front and the umpire's finger went up immediately. Things got even better 3 balls later as Umar was beaten by another that pegged back his off-stump.

Despite the double-wicket maiden start, Mo Salah, who smashed Eridge to all parts in the reverse fixture a few years ago, came out swinging wildly and he smashed Jake Pooley's first ball over mid-on for a one-bounce four. But a few balls later he tried to repeat the dose but the invariable bounce made him mis-cue and Rory '9-lives' Heilbron took a juggling catch at mid-off.

Batters 4 and 5 continued to wield the willow as if they were playing a 10-over game but Wasim was given a life by Heilbron after a steepling catch slipped through his grasp again at mid-off, with Pooley the luckless bowler.

But later in the same over, Pooj took matters into his own hands by pegging back Wasim's off stump as the batter aimed an ugly hoik at another that kept low. Heilbron was soon back in Pooley's good books as Subhan chipped a simple chance straight to his bread-basket.

It was soon 39/6 as debutant Bailey, who bowled with impressive pace off a short run, knocked back Jahid's stumps. Youngster E Greenslade joined Fasial in a rebuilding stand of 23 as slow bowlers Wigmore and Sam Martin entered the attack. Sambo got his wicket thanks to a brilliantly-timed jumping catch from Pooley at mid-wicket to get rid of Greenslade jnr.

He was replaced by his Dad and with Faisal surviving being bowled by Wigmore off a ball which just about bounced twice before it got to the crease, the pair added a valuable 27 runs before seamers Harry Thomas (2/5) and Heilbron (1/3) wrapped things up - the hosts dismissed for 97 in just 22.1 overs.

Dizzy's tea was devoured by the players during the early interval before cousins Goldsmith and Thorpe set about knocking off the runs.

The pair added 10 in 5 painstaking overs before Mark was bowled by a good one from Umar. The bowler was soon on a hat-trick as Ben Fasey also got a jaffa first ball.

Mark Utting came in at 4 to settle things down and he hit a brace of boundaries through the covers to get the scoreboard moving. Goldsmith finally hit his first boundary after Subhan finally dropped short but in Umar's 6th over, he made the fatal mistake of going back to a straight ball and the low bounce did for him for 11. Sam Martin followed him back 2nd ball in identical circumstances.

Harry Bailey looked good in getting to 5 before Umar completed his 5-for in a fortuitous manner which the ball deflecting onto the stumps off the batter's elbow. Eridge now teetering at 39/5.

Joe Wigmore hung around for a few overs, allowing Mark to take the score up to 53 but he then chipped spinner Brian Field to mid-wicket to depart without score. The big wicket came in the next over though as Utting went back to a half-tracker from change bowler Wasim and the ball shot along the floor to beat him all ends up . Utting's top score of the day of 34 being little consolation.

Skipper Ellis joined Heilbron at the wicket but from Field's next ball, Heilbron hit the ball to long-off and turned for a 2nd run, only for Ellis to send him back. Rory slipped at the crucial moment and was run out for 2. Eridge 66/8.

Ellis and Jake Pooley seemed to be taking Eridge towards the win by adding 21 in 6 overs, but the introduction of Salah from the pavilion end did the trick as he found some bounce from around the wicket to beat Pooj's defences and then, next ball, his yorker hit Harry Thomas on the toe and umpire Bailey adjudged it was straight in front.

Eridge all out for 87 in 24 overs - falling to defeat by 10 runs.