What a perverse game cricket is. One year before, a battling 56 from Phil Mattimoe deservedly won the game for West XI on a wretched day for the Gents, the low-light of which was Masher’s knee injury. This of course set up Cameron Vine’s tour de force at Boston Manor, West XI winning the Bob Ashton Memorial Trophy for the first time since 1992. Here, on a day of tense, gripping cricket, Mattimoe fell first ball, the ball continued to jag around on a difficult pitch and West XI were restricted to 101 for seven. The Gents chased them, thanks to a glorious, boundary-strewn partnership between Tony Buck and Daniel Todd and thus took a 1-0 lead in the series. Both sides’ bowling and fielding were excellent in what was a high-standard game.

It was not until two-thirty that Mattimoe and Dallas strode to the crease. Snarler pounded in from the Pavilion End and unleashed a long-hop that ought to have disappeared over the chalk lines. Instead, Phil drove low straight into the hands of Sanjay Patel at deep extra-cover, to much jubilation. Sanjay was later cruelly, if fairly, outed by Stevie B as "the only player in the team who would have caught it." The Gents built upon this perfect start to the extent that after Masher had bowled himself and Snarler straight through, West XI were in all sorts of trouble at 19 for three, soon to become 19 for four. Snarler was the architect of the Gents’ early successes, with Masher, bowling off a short run (Colin stood up for him) accurate on a damp pitch. Victor had been specially positioned at silly mid-on by Snelling and responded with two catches, a high top-edge off Martin Drake and a mistimed forward-defensive from Ian Dallas. Chris Wright soon fell yorked Sanjay and at the nineteen over break West XI were 29 for four.

The Commander later admitted that he had hoped to bowl the Beggars out for seventy but another in the series of able Bignell/Taylor stands put paid to such hopes. Biggers was dropped early in his innings by Andy Burman in the gully (the first of only two fielding blips of the innings) but toughed it out and played some good shots. The first boundaries of the innings, two cover-drives by Taylor off Wright, did not arrive until the 23^rd over, whereupon runs oozed a little more freely. A stand of 54, the highest of the day, was the result when Biggers lofted Mr Todd high above mid-on. A few minutes before, a similar shot from Taylor had seen Daniel call "Mine" and then do that little hat flinging and dance routine that inevitably sees the ball fall unmolested to the ground. This time, Victor’s confident catch relieved the tension that was beginning to affect the Gents. His third catch was the joint best, with Robin Hunt and Rich Wilman, by a Gent outfielder. Mr Hill, with an 81 to his name already in 1999, came in too late to do much damage but Toddy’s and Bodders’ late spells were excellent. A smart stumping by Mr Naish (whose performance was top-drawer) and the first of three lbws, both decisions courtesy of umpire Fleming, saw the end of the wickets as some late hitting and good running saw the hundred up. It had been a good fightback by West X, who had added 72 in the last sixteen overs. Mr Ashton seemed pleased, however, as both sides stuffed their faces with tuck, joined by Adolf Parkie, who as a reward for improved behaviour in 1999 was permitted a ham sandwich and a cake.

With Bignell’s shoulder injured, Captain Hill had only four main bowlers. He had, therefore, really to win the game by the 28^th over. On the other hand Captain Ashton had only four main batsmen, and bravely stuck them in the top positions, although he had thought about putting in a sacrificial lamb at three to try to use up some overs from Taylor. It would all make for a gripping encounter as the two great rivals slugged it out on a mild, sunny day that utterly belied the Met. Office’s weather forecast of thunder and showers, although forked lightning was briefly glimpsed over central London at one point. In a grimmer game exactly 55 years before, General Eisenhower had ignored the forecast of storms and launched the D-Day landings.

Bodders cut Phil for three and cover-drove Taylor for four, but was soon bowled half-forward. The big wicket of Sanjay then followed next over to the day’s third catch at silly mid-on, a repeat of the Dallas dismissal. The Gents’ last two top-line batsmen were now at the wicket, as the tension became unbearable. Masher took most of Hill’s spell and Wright most of Taylor’s. Jim was following orders and was pleased merely to keep his wicket intact against some lively, inventive bowling. He edged just short of ‘keeper Robinson but hung in there and as Masher took two fours off Hill and a further boundary with a hook off Taylor, the best two West XI bowlers finished their spells with the Gents 38 for two. Mattimoe’s arrival was greeted with a flurry of two fours and a two by Ashton, whereupon a typical Gents collapse turned the game on its head.

Masher was first to depart. A damp wicket had remained bowler-friendly but had not especially misbehaved until a ball from Mattimoe rolled along the ground to bowl him. He opted to chill-out by the mid-wicket boundary, looking for all the world like he was practising yogic flying, albeit with a cloud of B&H smoke rising from his vicinity. Graham fell plumb lbw to another shooter in Mattimoe’s next over before Jim, having batted over 19 overs for his 12 runs, edged to Robinson in the first over after drinks. It says a lot about what amuses your typical social cricketer that Jim later professed it to be "rather funny" to have been dismissed by somebody with "the same name as me," although he was not laughing at the time.

West XI were fighting like cornered tigers as the pressure mounted on the Gents. Four byes off a high Wright full-toss relieved the tension somewhat, and when Taylor spilled Snarler one thought that luck was with the Gents, but stunningly another Mattimoe ball kept low and Snarler was out leg before. His sweary and emotional reaction signified the importance of the game, not his dissatisfaction with the decision.

Realistically, West XI had to make further inroads into the batting before Mattimoe, skidding the ball through with a whippy action and Wright, bowling clever slow-medium pace on a helpful pitch, were bowled through. In their way stood Toddy and Swiss Tony, who had the wit and ability to understand what was required and execute it to the letter. The good balls were blocked but anything short or wide was given the full treatment. Daniel’s batting has become somewhat stylised in recent seasons but here he was back to his best with a pull off Mattimoe through the Balaclava Road railings for a lost ball and a magnificent lofted drive over long-on for another boundary. Swiss opened his account with a sharp single and a two before unleashing an authentic cover-drive off Mattimoe. The scoreboard was now being updated every run, whereas during the collapse earlier in the innings it was strangely left untenanted for long periods. This was a little discourteous, particularly as West XI had neatly kept it going throughout their innings, although by this stage the tension was getting to everyone, with even the spectating Dhruv silent for moments at a time.

A lot of nonsense is talked about body language but as two mighty Buck pulls for four off Wright took the score into the nineties, West XI, hands on hips, became more static and seemed to have conceded defeat. Captain Hill gave Chairman Ali a rare bowl and his first two balls were pulled backward of square by Toddy to secure a famous win, with the services of Jonty Richmond, Moin Naish and Inzamam-ul-Burman not required. This was probably for the best, as by now Andy had totally lost the plot. He would within minutes enter the showers with his spectacles on, giggling stupidly. The Gents just deserved it on the day but West XI made them struggle for every run and with a bit more depth in the bowling may just have sneaked a win. It must also be said that it was a good toss to win, with the pitch damp from overnight rain and the atmosphere humid. A post-match debrief in the Black Lion, missing only the shattered Snarler, saw the usual wind-ups with Philbilly just shading Masher on points, but the Gents’ supremo had the win to savour the next morning. He had captained well, rationing his bollockings and never once sulking on the boundary while in the field.

Both sides fielded plenty of stalwarts from the early days, and two of the 1988 vintage, Bignell and Ashton, played the highest innings of the match. These two still set the standard for the newer players to achieve but slowly the parvenus are beginning to influence, if not yet dominate proceedings, which is as it has always been and must always be. The two teams will be meeting and celebrating Bob’s memory for many years yet and what a delight it is to record the deeds of established and recent players alike. Let us hope that the games will always be played like this, hard, but in a good spirit. The teams will meet again in July, when the Gents will either regain the cup or West XI will set up a September decider in Raynes Park.