Our second game in as many days saw the Old Boys of Henleaze travel across the city for a league match against Frenchay Fitters. The weather was looking dodgy all day but as we were to play on an artificial pitch we were fairly confident the game would go ahead. The pitch was situated within the grounds of Frenchay Hospital and had a very basic pavilion but not a lot else and we arrived to find the drizzle still coming down but both teams were keen to get the game going so the captains walked to the middle for the toss. HOB captain Smith returned to inform us we would be fielding first.

Barrett opened the bowling and made the breakthrough in the first over, their opener edging one behind for Fillingham to make a smart catch. JS Smith at the other end was also bowling very tightly and the Old Boys were getting on top. This was until we were ordered off the pitch by a little Hitler of a nurse at the start of the seventh over - she could have just asked nicely! Next to the cricket pitch was the hospital helicopter landing pad and some poor chap was being airlifted to hospital, a couple of the Old Boys wondered if it was Leigh coming to watch us! This cause a break in play for around 30 minutes while the helicopter landed so the captains got together again and decided to reduce the match to 18 overs per side.

It seemed as though the break in play had shifted the momentum as Frenchay came back out into the middle all guns a blazing, amassing 81 runs from their final 8 overs to finish on 123 for 4 from 18.

By now the street lights and car head lights we burning bright in the dark sky so batting was going to be very difficult. A steady start saw Henleaze stay in touch with the run rate until Jo was bowled by a ball no one could see. This brought crowd favorite Thomas to the crease and it wasn't long before he was hitting some big maximums over the boundary ropes. The frenchay opening bowler didn't like his figures being raped and with his last ball threw down a bouncer than Will did well to avoid.

Always up with the run rate, the most important thing for HOBs was not to lose wickets and Ed and Will were building a very useful partnership until Will missed a straight one which saw Andrew to the middle. He and Ed continued to chase down the total, both happily tucking away ones and twos in showy fashion like a stripper tucking tenners into her untercrackers. Things were starting to get tense though and when Barry was bowled for 9, 12 runs were required from 11 balls. In normal situations this should be achieved without too much of a problem but the fact that we were in near darkness made it all the more nerve racking.

New batsman Jon Smith came to the crease and was eager to get opening batter Davies back on strike, so eager in fact, he ran himself out first ball after thinking it had gone past the keeper for byes. This brought debutant Tom Laughran to the middle under more pressure than a sumo wrestlers' jockstrap. Four singles where scampered in the over meaning 8 was required from the final 6 balls. A couple of singles for each saw Ed register his second 50 of the season but four runs were still required from the final two balls. Loughran was on strike and unleashed a leg side tickle straight from the pages of the MCC's fabled coaching manual for four runs and the game was won!

That's two wins from two in the league and 5 wins from 6 matches this season in what was probably the best run chase in HOB history! Man of the Match went to the Edster for his classy 57 not out in what was a perfectly timed innings!

Incidentally according to local weather forecasters, there is a 100% chance of rain for tomorrow's game v Gremlins, which is possibly the most Irish expression I've ever heard in my life.