It was easily the biggest match of our cricketing calendar… or at least to date. We were lucky that the canicule of the previous few days abated to pleasant enough 30 degree heat with occasional cloud cover.
 Mike Gear, the captain of Damazan, won the toss and elected to field. Damazan opened their bowling with the father-son combination of Chris and Ben Searson both of whom bowled well. Our opening combination of David and Gulshan set about seeing this early onslaught off, particularly wary of the accurate and nippy Chris. The score moved along slowly despite a well-struck six from Gulshan off the bowling of Ben. Just as David had started to free his shoulders with a couple of nice shots disaster struck as he was unluckily run out. David was out for 13 runs, just as he was starting to open up.
 Danger man Prem was promoted up the order to no.3 but he was well caught by Ireson off the bowling of Chris Green who had replaced Ben Searson for just 1 run, completely ruining his not-out record. Charlie Hopper replaced Chris Searson at the other end, bowling tight and accurate spin, the pitch really suiting his type of bowling. He accounted for Gil almost straight away who was caught hungrily by Chris Searson at mid-off and he also departed for 1. 
 However, that was enough of that and Arun joined Gulshan at the crease for a spiffing partnership, taking on the bowling with ease. However Gulshan was bowled by an unplayable delivery from Hopper and he went for a well played 37. Clive, playing his first game in three months thanks to a leg injury, with the score on 67-4, joined Arun at the crease. A good partnership ensured bring the score close to 100 when Clive sprinted down the pitch ignoring any calls for ‘no’ or ‘wait’ by Arun and was left standing next to his batting partner looking pleadingly into his eyes. However fortune prevailed and the fielder fumbled the ball and Arun sprinted to the other end to bring the 100 up (for 4 wickets, in the 25th over).
 Chris Searson was brought back into the attack and with the first ball of his spell dismissed Arun who played what could best be described as a ‘twizzle’ shot. Arun later said that he had forgotten that that particular bowler was quite fast. Not to matter however, Arun had got a very nice 33 punishing the looser bowling he had been presented with (and the good bowling for that matter).
 Matters started to go rapidly down hill as Clive was bowled for 12 by Chris Searson to be his 2nd victim (100-6). Another two run outs, that of Ankit and Pete’s, followed shortly afterwards with the dismissal of Paddy, caught by a diving catch from short mid-wicket trying to fend off a shorter ball from Ben Searson meant that only Anbu and Sonia remained with the score for 9 wickets in the early 100s. But Anbu played brilliantly and was ably supported by Sonia before she was out of a top edge trying to play a hook shot. Anbu had got 20* and brought the score up to 137 All out in the 33rd over (of 35).
 If that should have taught Damazan anything, it would have been that we had been 100-4 and we ended up only making 137 all out. However it didn’t seem to as several of their players got changed out of their whites, expecting an easy victory. And they looked as if they were indeed going to get it.
 Our bowling was opened by Prem and captain Pete, Prem proving especially dangerous before he made the breakthrough, Ireson edging through to Sonia behind the stumps with the score on 10. Charlie Hopper was joined by captain Gear in the middle and they rattled the score along nicely, Hopper in particular who hit 2 sixes in an over off Pete and then again later 2 sixes in an over off Paddy who had replaced him. However with the score on 51-1, Mike Gear played a hook shot straight into the waiting hands of Prem off the bowling of Gulshan . Chris Searson strode out to the crease and looked in control of the situation but then Damazan’s best batsman, Hopper played a wild shot which resulted in a top edge and was caught at slip by Arun. Sims then joined Chris in the middle and played well, and hit Gulshan for a towering six at one point through the trees. It was at this point that Arun was brought on to bowl (replacing Paddy). His extremely accurate medium pace  tied the batsmen down who were otherwise going at 4.5 to 5 runs and over and looking easily set to reach their target. He accounted for Sims who top edged and was caught very well by Anbu running in at full length from his position at square-leg. Artur Wijling then joined Chris Searson at the crease and played a supporting role.
 There was no doubt in the Damazan camp that they were cruising to victory, at 108-4 with 9 overs left. Cricket however is the game that can change in an instant and the events over the next half hour was a prime example.
 Gulshan was bowling his last allotted over with the solid Chris Searson facing. Whatever ball it was that Gulshan bowled, it was completely unplayable as it beat Chris completely and knocked his stumps back. With the last ball of his spell Gulshan then removed Bell for a duck, again knocking the stumps back in a fine display of pace bowling. 108-6 shortly afterwards became for 7 as Artur was run out taking on the arm of Prem from the boundrary who threw perfectly in over the stumps and Sonia whipped the bails off and the umpire’s finger went up. Ben Searson and Chris Green were the batsmen now at the crease and the balance of the game had completely shifted. They blocked Pete and Arun’s bowling and the required run rate was suddenly going up dramatically for the first time in the game. Paddy returned into the attack and removed Chris Green with a ball that pitched on leg and hit his middle and off stumps. The new batsman Ayling then took a single off the last ball of the over, which meant that he would be facing Arun next up.
 Ayling blocked the next ball of the over he faced from Arun but the ball trickled back onto his stumps and dislodged the bails. Pedersen was the last man for Damazan and
 he could only survive a few deliveries until he was caught by Anbu at silly mid-off.
 We had done it. We had snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. Damazan had gone from 106-4 to 115 AO. Wild celebrations followed, as never before seen at Isle de Noé, and they were fully justified with a victory that none of the players will ever forget.
 It only remains to look forward to the final on the 27th August, to be played at Eymet against St. Aulaye and also to thank the captain, the team manager, the entire team, those who prepared such a great wicket, the scorers, the umpires and the supporters, who were that extra 10%.

Toss: Won by Damazan and elected to bowl

CC Noé Gascogne Batting

Fall of Wickets

30 33 34 63 100 101 104 116 117 137

Bowling

Searson B 7-0-29-1, Searson C 7-0-13-2, Hopper 7-1-23-2, Green 5.5-0-22-2, Wijling 5-0-30-0, Ayling 3-0-15-0

CC Damazan Batting

Fall of Wickets

10 54 57 84 106 106 111 114 115 115

Bowling

Pete 6-0-30-0, Prem 7-0-21-1, Gulshan 7-0-23-4, Paddy 5-0-20-1, Arun 6.3-3-9-3

Thanks to : Sonia for scorecard and Paddy for report.

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