On May 30th 1999 current and former players and officials of Yeovil Town Football Club turned their eye towards a smaller ball and different kit to take on North Perrott Cricket Club at their own game.

Sadly, the weather didn't turn out quite the way we planned it. A steady drizzle had been falling throughout Sunday lunchtime, and this must have impacted heavily on the expected numbers turning out. But by 2:30pm, the scheduled start time, the drizzle cleared to an acceptable rate and so the game was able to commence.

Disappointingly, four Yeovil Town players were overseas and were not able to attend the fixture. What made matters worse was that Kevan Brown, Rob Cousins, Steve Stott and Steve Thompson were all believed to know which way to hold a cricket bat. The first three were in India on the Middlesex Wanderers Football Tour, whilst Steve Thompson was involved in coaching courses in America. Despite that, over half of the Yeovil Town side was taken from the current coaching and playing squad.

North Perrott batted first, with Tony Pennock and Terry Cotton opening the bowling. Surprisingly, we found out that they both knew how to bowl with Tony Pennock looking a bit serious with it! As a result, North Perrott found themselves five wickets down with barely 50 runs on the board, with Tony Pennock having removed three out of the first five North Perrott players.

Just when it was thought that North Perrott could be embarrassing themselves by being skittled out for under 100, J. Dyke and O. Egland re-established normality with a lengthy stand that was only broken when Dyke reached his 50 and retired to allow others to bat. This was enough to upset the balance. Egland went for 39, deceived by the cunning flight of .... errrr ..... Colin Lippiatt as Tony Pennock produced a diving catch on the boundary of, ummm ... goalkeeping proportions now you come to mention it.

Having taken another catch, back roared Tony Pennock, removing two more Perrott wickets. With the score on a mere 195, North Perrott lost their tenth wicket, but unleashed their secret weapon whose only problem was that of seeing the ball from over the top of his pads. Yes, North Perrott's youth system was coming through, and the youngster added a single run to the total, leaving Yeovil Town chasing a total of 197 to win.

There was certainly no doubt that Andy Lindegaard had learnt from his Les Phillips Cup final experience. Having had just about enough time to get his golf-ball sized bruise down from a head collision that day, he was taking no chances, and produced the only crash helmet on display of the day. A wise move, as in rapidly fading light, Sharma and John were certainly producing fast balls for Yeovil to deal with, and a similar pattern was produced to the North Perrott innings as John took three wickets out of the opening five, leaving Terry Cotton and Tony Pennock needing to make some serious runs.

And so they did, with the younger Welshman frequently threatening the car park with wilful damage. Somehow, he missed every time. We got the idea that Tony had done this before ......

Just when he was four short of his half century though, disaster struck as first he was bowled, then Terry Cotton was trapped l.b.w. Yet, North Perrott did not allow for the masterstroke of Tony Pounder and Colin Lippiatt as the last pair, and Tony, wearing trousers so tight we reckon he could have deputised for the Bee Gees, struck 24 runs whilst Colin Lippiatt held guard at the other end.

It seemed all of this was in vain when, with just two runs needed, Colin Lippiatt's middle stump was uprooted. But in a sheer act of umpiring genius, the ball was declared first a no-ball by the square-leg umpire, then after careful consideration, a wide ball by the main umpire. Any suggestions that Tony Pounder offered the umpire a pint in the bar as payment for the late decision, are of course strenuously denied.

And so it was only suitable, that the gaffer on the next ball, majestically swept the ball to the boundary (OK, I admit it, he hoiked it) for the winning runs, and the tension of when we could all get to the bar had finally been resolved.

Extreme thanks is due to Simon Gerring and Fat Harry of North Perrott for allowing the game to be staged and to all those at North Perrott who provided such excellent food and bar service, and for Stuart who entertained those people who didn't give a flying monkeys about the cricket, with his totally unobtrusive commentary (errr, shurely shum mishtake there - Ed) of the game. And of course thanks are due to Terry Cotton for organising the Yeovil team, and to Colin Lippiatt for making the longest journey of the day - a 220 mile round trip with his family. Same time, next year chaps ?