A warm and muggy Chipping Sodbury Cricket Club ground was the venue for the ever-enjoyable match out in this part of South Gloucestershire. A team called 'Puffers' were the perfect sounding opponents after a round of hectic matches - this was the fourth game in eight days for most of the rather exhausted Hobbers.

Captain Pandya-Smith won the toss and announced that we'd be fielding. Maybe he'd forgotten it was about 32 degrees with 90% humidity. But before we could take to the field the skip had announced that there was a twist - we each had to pull a piece of paper out a hat, identifying particular tasks to be accomplished during the match.

Accordingly, Ashford, and to his horror, Pete, had to open the bowling. Not only that, but Ashford had to bowl a 'moon-ball' - you know, one of those deliveries that goes up and comes back down a couple of days later. Even worse, Pete had to deliver his first ball in the style of side-arm yorker specialist Lasith Malinga…hard for anyone (except for Malinga himself perhaps). Especially if you're not a bowler.

With Malinga Trahar and everyone else pondering how they were going to approach their own 'special move' everyone braced themselves for some first rate comedy cricket.

Yours truly found himself behind the stumps as part of his surprise role - which gave Fillingham a break from his normal position having received a five-stitch face melter behind the stumps on Thursday, courtesy of one which reared up off an erratic pitch and almost took his eye out. It would take more than that for HOB obsessive Fillingham to miss a game though - keen followers of the HOBs will remember him cutting short attendance at his daughter's birth to get to a game a few years back.

Ashford opened things, but as a consistent bowler anyway, kept things tight and only went for 9 off his two overs. His moon ball was delivered and I think only went for one. Accordingly Paul handled his task well. Pete took his time to get going, the Malinga ball going a little wide…once he got into the groove though he bowled a couple of good ones and tempted one of the Puffer's openers into a lofted drive, caught by Ashley in the deep. Malinga couldn't have done it better himself and Trahar had snared his first ever HOB wicket.

Next up for bowling duty was Lambshead Junior who'd been practicing hard in the nets and bowled very consistently culminating in a tidy well-deserved caught and bowled. The rest of the bowlers were mostly the more established HOB attack squad and all bowled well, special mention to Golden Arm Adams who took 2 for 7 and Jon who was very economical at 1 for 10 off 3 overs.

It was about this time that Alan Pearce rocked up, later than the recently departed King of Pop. As soon as he wandered onto the pitch he was thrown the ball and asked to bowl. But Al loves it so he got on with a decent enough spell of looping, teasing moon balls. Finally, Ash and Jo's allotted roles were as death bowlers - by now Putt's Puffer's were looking to smash, Stafford coming down the pitch only to miss the ball and even I as stand in keeper managed to stump him. We kept them down to a reasonable 119 which given our recent performances we should have had no trouble chasing down. It wasn't to be that simple.

The roll of the dice had determined Ed and Al Pearce would be opening the batting. Al's role was to survive three overs. Ed's more challenging target was to hit 6 sixes in his first over. Both sadly were out for five, each playing a nice four before departing the arena. Next up were Will and Sam. Luckily it was one of our more competent batsmen, Will, who had to try and switch hit his first ball and luckily escaped with his teeth intact. Sam had to smash the first ball like Tino Best which he cracked off for a lovely 4. Perhaps getting a bit too confident he tried the same for his second ball but heard the horrible crack of shifting stumps. Between them they added 14. Adams, Jon and Jo steadied the ship, Adams got things going with a handy 14 (and just about surviving his first shot, which had to be played left-handed), Jon and Jo both surpassing the 'retirement score' of 25 each with some lovely shots. But not before an unfortunate run out which had them both ambling back to the pavilion, Jon grumbling into his brother's ear all the way.

It was getting tight now and looked like the match would go down to the final over. But cometh the hour, cometh the Trahar.

After his first HOB wicket, Pete strode out to the crease in confident mood, partnered by Paul Ashford. After a good start, Paul was bowled giving it a go coming down the wicket. As last batsman, I nervously stepped out with the words 'five needed off seven balls' ringing in my ears. Luckily I got something on the last ball of the over and scampered two, but fortunately it was left it Trahar to ease the pressure and he batted aggressively with his three fours. One sweet hit almost went for six straight down the ground and he hit two to win it with about three balls left, getting most of the man-of-the-match votes in the process. On the sidelines, onlookers wondered if his missus's recent interest in the belligerent batting and good looks of Chris Gayle had inspired Pete to get in a little batting practice.

Either way we'd just about won it and the good natured opposition kindly supplied an enjoyably unhealthy sixteen kilos of chips and sausages to round of proceedings nicely.