On a scorching hot day, the batting proved equally as scorching in a match that eventually went down to the wire with all four results still possible. 

Arriving at the ground with the customary ten men, Howard having sent his obligatory midnight e-mail saying that "I'll be there boys (but not saying when...), we found the opposition only had nine and were in the process of rustling up extra players. 

Winning the toss, "Dancing Bear" elected to bat and loaned our "Slovakian Stud", Peter to the oppo in lieu of their arriving players. Monsewer Goodburn (3) might well have just cause to question his skipper's generosity as, in the third over, he cut uppishly to Rolik at point where he took a sharp regulation catch (a Graveney player taking a catch, we'll come back to that...). 

The "Bear" now joined elder statesman Gray at the crease and, for the first time this season, had to play second fiddle as the elder one played some sublime shots, at one stage leisurely assisting the ball from the opening quick bowler over third man for six, yet he even upstaged this by reaching his fifty from his thirty-sixth delivery by effortless sending the ball back over the bowler's head for another maximum. The very next ball, Barry was excellently caugth on the cover boundary to end his innings. 

"Rodders" Smith now joined the skipper at the crease and even he seemed to pick up the electric pace of this innings, his 22 coming at a run a ball before he was harshly judged lbw - lbw right-arm around the wicket, Howard? Raghu was next to arrive - just what the opposition needed when trying to stem the flow of runs! "Bear" reached his fifty from his forty-fourth delivery and eventually departed for 81. 

Time wasn't marching on quickly enough for the beleagured Blindley Heath bowlers but help was in hand in the form of a generous skipper. Raghu (54*) reached his fifty from his thirty-fourth delivery at which time "Bear" decided to declare, leaving Pradeep 10 not out and Howard champing at the bit, eager to bat, half an hour to go to tea - if only you had turned up that half an hour earlier Howard! The 228 scored had come from just 31 overs, despite the opposition bowling well. 

A generous and abundant tea was taken and the opposition looked keen to get on with the run chase as both openers were on the field before their umpires and our players! Certainly several of our players seemed to have left their hands behind after the early tea as our opening bowling pair of Raghu and Pradeep showed the wicket had as much in it for the bowlers as the batsmen. Raghu struck first, clean bowling Kearney but poor Pradeep had no luck at all, as two catches were spilt in the slips. Several other chances went begging as Gamager (45) and Simmons (82) kept accumulating the runs and it wasn't until Barry induced an edge that the first catch was snaffled by a hobbling Moody. Barry cleaned bowled another, Nick picked up a catch off the "Bear" but if Graveney thought they were back in the hunt, opening bowler Howard (50) now proved he could bat a bit as the pair posted the fourth and fifth half-centuries of the game. 

If these two had stayed until the end, it could have proved costly for Graveney but Raghu and Pradeep accounted for both of them, aided by catches from a delighted "Bear". There was even time for a rare failure against us for Burchett before the door was finally closed against defeat by tight bowling at the end from Raghu and Pradeep, Blindley Heath finishing three runs short of victory and Graveney three wickets short of the same outcome, their final score 226/7 from 49 overs - was that a well judged declaration "Bear"?