As week thirteen of the season got under-way it was Darley dragging their bags down the slope to Angry Bay and with the other top teams all playing games against the bottom end of the table Captain Angry knew he needed at least five points from the game to keep Blubbs' title race on track. Sherman and Plattsey got the Angry-o-meter rising before the game even started, rolling down to the hut stinking of ale and bleary eyed after a night out at Shermans Rave. 

Winning the toss Angry decided to have a bat on a nice green wicket which promised much for the bowlers and with still no sign of the batting order randomiser Winton and Vassey were making their way out to the middle to get the innings started.

A nervous start from Winton hunting for his third double ton in three weeks soon had Vassey on strike as the Sunbed King got off the mark, it was clear Darley were up for the battle, Gill sending down a half track pie to the usual number six or seven, a wild swish from Vassey and he was making his way back to the hut and Blubbs were one for one at the end of the first over as Bubba made his way to the middle.

Ten on the board and disaster struck, the cogs fell off the machine as another pie from Gill bamboozled Winton who could only sky the delivery to mid-wicket and with two down in the third over the visitors celebrated like a pack of wild dogs knowing the danger man wouldn't be doing any damage this week, unless it was at the Sun Inn.

As Plattsey prised his eyes open and made his way out to the middle he knew already he was going to be getting more grief this time from the fielding side. The previous night's alcohol still flooded the system, meaning the pipe wizard was seeing double.  Four balls later and he was on his way back to his bed, leaving alone the wrong ball by Sands for nought and Darley were looking at ripping out the Blubberhouses batting order for a meagre total as Angry took guard.

Angry and Bubba started to build a partnership as Blubbs closed in on fifty, another pie from Gill soon saw the end of that as Bubba swashed wildy and the only sound echoing round the ground was that of the stumps taking another beating from the ball before the sound of Bubba's helmet bouncing off the changing room wall.

With Bungle the new man at the crease the Blubberhouses changing room was scrambling as Bupa, Arnie, Frankie and Sherman were all donning their pads and making ready for the collapse, but Bungle had other ideas armed with his straight bat and determined to justify his number six spot the score raced past fifty and Blubbs started to look like posting a score to bowl at.

The hundred came up and the visitors earlier crowing started to fade into the distance as Angry doubled his runs for the season and Bungle looked like notching up another fifty for the season. There was the standard comedy moment as Bungle top edged a hook, only to have the Darley fielders stare at each other then do a merry dance round the maypole as the ball plummeted to the ground. The partnership of sixty four finally came to an end when Bungle found a leading edge and he was back in the shed for thirty five and the angry birds once again circled in the middle as Bupa picked up his wand and set off for the middle.

A nurdle from Angry and Bupa was on strike, extra bounce from the deck found the outside edge and as the Blubbs number seven watched the ball safely into the hands of the keeper Blubbs were six down with still fifteen overs to go.

Arnie full of confidence from Wednesdays knock joined Angry and started to look like putting an innings together, hitting a four and a six, before the terminator was finally terminated by Robertson as the stumps took another hammering and Darley were thirsty for the batting point.

Sherman stood up to make the trip out to the middle but Angry signalled the orders and Frankie was making his way out to the middle, immediately smashing four from his first ball, his innings ended as quickly as it had started, swinging wildly at a straight one from Hainsworth and with only Sherman and Festa in the tent Angry was wildly shaking his head at the non-strikers end. 

Sherman made his way to the middle, armed with his trusty tin of Dulux emulsion and wooden paintbrush with strict instructions from Angry not to get out, two coats of satin and one matt soon had the visitors wondering how they were they were going to get rid of the irritating number ten but the shutters were well and truly up even though most of the deliveries lacked any direction or intent. Angry pushed the score along notching up his first fifty of the season as the score passed the one fifty mark and Blubbs at least had something to defend in the second half.

With two deliveries of the innings remaining and Angry on strike the batting point looked a formality for the hosts, a straight delivery from Beecroft changed all that and as Angry walked off the field Festa had the un-enviable task of going out for the last ball knowing his wicket stood between Darley and the bowling point. Beecroft steamed in and pelted the ball down the track, forgetting he was meant to be aiming at the stumps as Festa played an acknowledging swish at the wild delivery and Blubbs had secured a point from the first half of the game but was the lean one sixty six enough?

During the tea interval Angry got out the WD40 desperately trying to free up the cogs on the machine hoping he'd make a better second half performance as the two openers argued about which end they wanted bowl from, Sherman was quietly thinking a hundred and sixty six was nowhere near enough runs to bowl at especially if Angry brought him into the attack as the crew marched out onto the field to reconvene the game.

As the delivery reports for Darley's half time victory texts came in, they got off to a flyer as Winton was effortlessly hit for nine in the first over and two boundaries from Frankie's first saw nineteen on the board in double quick time, Angry once again held his head in his hands as the game started to slip away and the visitors on the hill started to sing.

Another boundary off Winton and a no-ball and things were looking glum for the hosts as Darley reached twenty four without loss, as the cogs in the machine turned the lubrication finally kicked in, Pattison couldn't keep out the extra pace and over went the stumps, the crowd went wild.

More pagger for Frankie and it was an early change in the attack, Sherman took over from the River End as Winton got his way and changed to the Woodyard End. Rice eager to get the game over flat batted a shell from the artillery over the ropes for six as Darley rattled up thirty six from twenty six deliveries and the game didn't look like lasting long, two deliveries later and Rice was on his way, trying to pull another one round the corner and Sherman had revenge as the tracks started whirling and the big unit motored down the pitch. Rice stood defiantly at the crease thinking it was all a dream but after a second glance at the raised finger he started his walk of shame back to the hut, not realising he was on collision course with the overjoyed tank.

Six runs later and Winton had two in his his cap, Roberts missing with the bat, Winton hitting with the ball and Darley were three down and starting to wobble with still one twenty five needed for victory.

Darley managed to add one more to their total before Gill blobbed up an easy catch to Angry at silly mid-off and as Gill made his way off the field the silence of the Bank Banterer's spoke volumes.

Sherman should have picked up number two next over when Hainsworth nicked one to Vassey behind the stumps but it wasn't meant to be as the embarrassed number five prepared to receive the second delivery of his innings.  

The visitors were now falling apart, Sands was next to depart as the timbers trembled again and Winton had four with no further runs added to the total and Furniss was on hs way to the middle looking to play out the the remaining thirty overs for the batting point.

Forty three for five was soon fifty four for six as Hainsworth got his comeuppance and the stumps were flattened once again by the pumped up Blubberhouses machine and with still over a hundred needed for victory the singing from the bank was a distant memory in Angrys mind.

Winton was now fired up and steamed in from the Woodyard End, ripping out Newboulds middle stump for one and with only three wickets in the tent Darley didn't look like lasting long.

Nine runs later and Furniss became Wintons seventh victim of the day, a rap on the pads and minutes later up went the finger and Angry sensed an overhaul on the cards with only Nine, Ten and Jack to dispose of it looked like plain sailing from here on in.

Three balls later and Blubbs were looking for one wicket to finish up the game as Winton picked off the tail end in true Ramboesque fashion claiming his eighth for the day and hungry for number nine.

As Sherman started over number nineteen Winton was praying the turret would be off target with Darley well and truly backed into a corner, five balls in and Doige couldn't resist a high spinning pie, a big swish and it was all over as the stumps clattered again and Angry had another six in the chest as he returned to HMS Sun Inn to celebrate holding on to the top spot for a third week running. 

Points: Blubberhouses 6, Darley 0

Fielding Points: Bungle x2

Fact of the day: The turning circle of the QE2 is just under half a mile, Shermans is just under a mile so if you see him charging down the wicket.....RUN!

Kev's words of wisdom: If Maccas a one man team how come he didn't get all the runs?