After some heavy rain overnight (note to self: make sure the pitch is covered), it wasn’t clear that the game against Lingfield on Sunday would go ahead. However, thanks to some quick thinking from Simon Knight (who had 5kg of chicken marinading in his fridge…) it was agreed to move the fixture to a T20 for later in the day, provided the pitch had dried up.

The pitch inspection at 4pm was positive, and a hastily re-arranged T20 derby clash began...

Opting to field first after winning the toss (so Outwood could tend the BBQ), Outwood put on a disciplined and varied bowling display. John Mist's impressive spell of 3 wickets for 21 runs was the pick of Outwood’s 9(!) bowlers. Despite early setbacks, Lingfield managed to post a defendable total of 122/7 thanks to Tyler Robertshaw's quick-fire 33 runs off just 17 balls.

In response, Outwood began a determined chase with a solid batting effort, Ollie King (9*) proving the backbone for some juicy cameos from Simon Williams (19), Nick Courtney-Evans (28), Charlie Mist (19 - off just 8 balls). However, Lingfield fought back, with regular breakthroughs restricting the flow of runs.

Outwood found themselves needing 8 runs off the final over to win, but Lingfield held their nerve, conceding only 7 runs, with Ollie King saving the tie for Outwood on the last ball with a well ran final 2.

Overall, it was a closely contested and enjoyable local derby with both teams showing flashes of brilliance. The tie served as a testament to the spirit that both teams entered into the hastily re-scheduled game. The shawarma-master S. Knight didn’t trouble the scorers, but instead posted an early application to the "Hall of Flame" for match tea of the season.

This Sunday’s game will be home against Horley Strollers, with James Malley returning to the captaincy, and our chairman Paul Howard on tea duty…