A game to remember for the Badger bowling attack saw them skittle Oakhill for just 88 runs. Having lost to the same opposition by a whopping 123 runs the previous year, there was some nervous fidgeting when the toss was lost (again) and Oakhill elected to bat. However, an incredible 4-over spell from Mackrell yielded 3 wickets for only 4 runs (an edge through the slips) and set the terrified batsmen on a downward spiral from which they were never able to recover.
Even when the initial carnage ended and Bam Bam sat back in his mid-off happy place, chomping on imaginary jelly babies and punching the imaginary kung-fu assassins who had come to steal them, there was no let-up from the rest of the Badger seamers and twirlers. The wickets were shared around, with no one more deserving than Foord, whose two scalps propelled him to 100 all-time wickets for the Badgers – only the second man in history to achieve this feat. In a subdued celebration, he seemed somewhat detached from the congratulations of his team-mates, possibly reminiscing about the 100-club membership he’d held in the past but lost. Don’t worry Nick – this one can never be taken away.
The pitch had certainly provided plenty of assistance for those with ball in hand but the modest Oakhill total was reached with 15 overs and 5 wickets to spare. Cloke top-scored with 28 and Hamblin showed he doesn’t like to hang around, steaming 14 runs from 6 balls to end the match. There was some talk of using the unused time to play another short game but this was quickly forgotten when everyone realised they were far too hungry and lazy.