Washington Cricket Club - 40th Anniversary Year

But a brilliant team performance in the last hour saw Wash pull it round, leaving breathless skipper Justin Gurney to say: ‘We fought like tigers, fielded like badgers and, oh, mate, what was that like?’ He meant, of course, that he was ‘over the moon’, that he was ‘pleased for the fans’ and that the opposition skipper must be ‘sick as a parrot’, but his team mates understood.

Gurney’s day had started in traditional fashion when he lost his fifth toss out of six this season. Wash were invited to bat but openers Matthew Cragoe and Rob Tidey negotiated the early overs with some comfort, adding 48 before Cragoe (24) lost his middle stump to provide impressive left-arm seamer, John Cheesemen jnr, with the first of his five wickets.

Washington now suffered another of the collapses that has plagued their batting all season. Tony Harris (0) and David Gluckman (2) both fell cheaply, and then Rob Tidey (39), having stroked the ball about with his customary authority and elegance, gave a return catch to the excellent ‘AJ’ Henry (2-30).

The fact that this remained the game’s top score spoke volumes for both the quality of Tidey’s technique and the difficulties of the pitch.

Tidey was followed back up the pavilion steps in short order by Brad Hitchcock (4), Dave Mazza (2) and skipper Justin Gurney (0), and Wash suddenly found themselves in the toils at 89-7.

Things looked dark, but new boy Ben Jooste, and young Nick Tidey, returning after an absence of almost two years, rescued the situation with a dazzling 55-run partnership. They combined stout defence with flashes of aggression and dug their side out of a hole; a valuable late single from Terry Tidey allowed Washington to post a final total of 149.

‘We’re in with a chance’ was Gurney’s tea-time prognostication, but facing 150 to win, Great Gaddesden knew that the run rate was never going to be a problem and duly batted with sensible caution, waiting for the bad ball. As long as they stuck to that course, they seemed certain to prevail.

Although Gurney (1-31) and Terry Tidey (1-29) each picked up a wicket - the latter to a stupendous full length catch at backward square leg by Eric Stoughton - further wickets failed to materialise, Jooste (0-24) suffering particularly as the ball flashed unintercepted through the slips and a no-ball negated a certain lbw.

After 30 patient overs, Gaddesden had scored 106-3 and were strong favourites; fatally, however, the introduction to the attack of Eric Stoughton and Nick Tidey caused them to change tactics and begin chasing the bowling. It wasn’t that kind of pitch.

Henry’s composed innings of 32 ended when he cross-batted a stinging catch to Harris at cover off Tidey, and the same bowler than had Jones brilliantly taken at slip, high to his left, by Gluckman, for just 2.

Next it was Stoughton’s turn. In the space of three dizzying overs he removed Hearn (2) to another great catch by Harris; John Cheeseman sr (10), picked up on the boundary by Cragoe; Badcock (0), caught and bowled; and Teesdale (0), bowled all ends up.

Suddenly the pressure was on Gaddesden. Literally minutes earlier, the match had seemed to be in the bag; now, as the last over began, the last wicket pair found themselves still nine runs adrift of the target. The fact that the stylish John Cheeseman jnr had the strike gave them a decent chance, but he made the wrong choice when he decided to run two to Jooste: the Kimberley Diamond’s neat throw allowed Stoughton to whip off the bails, and unbelievably, ecstatically, Washington had won.

It probably shouldn’t have happened, but it did, and Washington were cock-a-hoop all the way back to London.

Nando’s Man of the Match: Eric Stoughton for brilliant bowling and two superb catches.