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In a day with more fingers that a Cadbury's chocolate factory Stonewall and the gang hosted Birstwith in a crucial top of the table clash and despite being promised sunshine it was a glum overcast day with conditions looking favourable for the swingers of the club.?Stonewall amazed the squad winning another crucial toss and stuck Birstwith in to bat, the rain started to fall.

The familiar duo of Mad Frankie and Tichie opened the attack and Birstwith made a confident start reaching thirty six before Atkinson missed a slower ball from Mad Frankie and Hebb produced handiwork even Fagan would be proud of whipping off the bails and another magical stumping when down in the book.

Birstwith pushed on the scoring and Stonewall had to make changes, bringing himself into the attack then shortly after Sherman replaced Frankie.

Sixty three runs on the board and Sherman struck the pads of Watson the appeal went up and so did the finger and Birstwith were two down.

Only one more was added to the total when Sherman claimed number two knocking back the sticks and Birstwith were sixty four for three and Blubbs took the upper hand.

Stonewall got in on the action five runs later when Harry Potter snatched a simple catch close in an Birstwith started to wobble.

Things were going Sherman's way today when wicket number five tumbled only sixteen runs later and the Strongbow was definitely kicking in, only eighty five runs on the board.

Splinter turned his arm over from the Wood Yard end replacing Stonewall but the buffet was too tempting today and after being clattered for twenty two from only two over's Stonewall decided enough was enough and Slimer was brought into the attack.

Tank time again one hundred and one for six and Sherman added another to his tally when Green got the finger treatment to another LBW decision and Blubb's were hoping to chase down a small total.

A stand of thirty three saw Birstwith back into the game and Stonewall looked concerned, luckily Sherman was there to help when he cleaned up Riley for thirty two, although not before taking a beating into the river.

Sherman finished off his spell by finishing off Nelson LBW for twenty four as the visitors slumped to one hundred and fifty one for eight and the bowling point beckoned.

Mad Frankie came back on for the last over after the The Shermanator came off, a moment of imagined glory saw Heardie's middle stump go over and Birstwith were nine down.

Five balls remaining and one wicket required only two were needed when a fourth leg before decision went the way of the home team and Birstwith were all out for what should have been an easy one hundred and seventy eight run chase.

After a mighty mid interval feast from Tichie's other half the second innings got underway. Stonewall took first knock with backup provided by Mr Angry. Angry looked devastating quickly pushing the score to twenty seven when disaster struck and one snook through the gate demolishing Angry's off stump and Blubbs were one down.

Slimer visited the crease at three and it was a brief visit after being wrapped on the pads another leg before went down in the book and Slimer went for nought, Blubbs thirty five for two.

Club sweetheart Harry Potter joined Stonewall at the centre but not the partnership wasn't to last long, Stonewall like his opening partner missed a straight one on the sticks and Blubbs were going down faster than a granny in the bus station on a Saturday night, thirty five for three.

Arnie Dickinson joined Romeo Potter for the fourth wicket stand, but another thud of the pad produced another over the top appeal produced another leg before and Potter was back to the shed for eight and back into the arms of Juliet the scorer.

Wilkie filled his place at six and Stonewall was hoping for at least one partnership of the day, sadly it wasn't going to involve Wilkie, a very mis-timed drive saw the ball spoon up to mid-off and Blubbs were sinking fast at sixty for five.

Tichie joined Arnie but again another brief partnership of two and another leg before saw the Californian governor making his way back to Orange County for fifteen.

It was obvious what Mad Frankie's intentions were today, win or get out and after a quick fire twenty five he did the latter falling short of the long off boundary and straight down the fielders throat, at seven down the outlook was grim.

Splinter was next in and next out, only four runs more were added to the score when he mis-judged a slider from Heardie and Blubbs were all but slain at the hands of Birstwith.

Sherman joined Tichie and the pair, well Tichie, gave the home side some hope adding thirty five before Tichie played a simple catch to mid-off and the fat lady was almost singing.

Last up was Hebb who was quickly off the mark with a single but a single was as far as he would go, next ball Sherman edged one onto his pad up went the fielders and again up went the finger. Not happy Sherman closed down the hatch and opened up a barrage on the stumps sending them and the bails flying across the pitch, Blubbs all out for one hundred and twenty eight and only one point from the spoils.

Points Awarded Blubberhouses: 1 Birstwith: 5

Fielding Points: Steven Wilkinson (2)

Fact of the day: In January 1981 Dire Straits released a song called "Romeo and Juliet" from their album "Making Movies". Harry Potter has also been recently involved in making movies with a phoenix and "Doing the Walk of Life" to Pateley Bridge for his new role in Romeo and Juliet and, incidentally has also joined a cricket team in Dire Straits.

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