At the finish everything hinged on whether Ian Haddow - top defensive grinder - could see out the last over. Barnes’ run chase, toward the victory target of 145, had stuttered midway through the last twenty overs as the powerful middle order fell looking for big shots to keep the scoreboard moving. The lower order had helped Dunlop take the score to within eighteen of the victory target, but with only thirteen balls to come Haddow was at last required.

Hogg had planned at great length various tactical ploys throughout the preceding week. The attack was to revolve around the pace of the super fit Steve Flower and the low pulsed Keith Seed. However when the five foot ten-ish curly fair haired pace man with the loud voice turned up he was actually a five foot ten-ish curly greying haired leg-spinner and middle order batsman. No matter, the attack would nevertheless revolve around the low pulsed Seed and the less than super fit Lawrence.

Old Wimbledonians’ mainly arrived on time (excepting the four that didn’t make it) and then joined the Barnes Occasionals in a forlorn vigil as a heavy shower fell. Nick Hawkins and Oliver Hogg went out to toss the coin before the rains came, Hawkins choosing correctly and electing to bat.

After one early breakthrough when Seed bowled Gardiner for six, Barnes struggled to make in-roads, with Tagg looking singularly unlikely to add to his modest season’s tally. However, following the introduction of Lawrence, who finished with 26-3, Barnes began to make progress. De Silva (49) and Thatcher (22) were dismissed within 13 deliveries and after a master-stroke switch of ends the "loopy" leg-spinner claimed a third wicket when Mike Webster held a catch behind after Hawkins was surprised by extra bounce. At 89 - 4 Barnes appeared to be in the ascendancy.

At this point John Hanmer (16 not out) deputising for one of the missing hordes of Wimbledon, made pains to point out to all and sundry that Barnes were missing out on a good thing. Little respect was given to his batting abilities and his constant piercing of the mostly too close fields enabled him to add a very respectable 55 for the fifth wicket. Hanmer junior’s partner in crime was Wimbledonians’ (Johnny-come-lately) skipper, Travers, who made an excellent and unbeaten 43, including all but one of the sixteen taken from Mundy’s final over. Not entirely the bowler’s fault, the field should have been on the boundary by this time, but Hogg, whose nerves had been somewhat frayed by his bowlers’ inability to take further wickets, had curiously lost the plot as the counter-attack gathered momentum.

After tea the Hogg brothers began Barnes’ reply. Lawrence, playing as though he had a train to catch (he did….in fact….have….a train….) put on 29 with Adam Hogg for the second wicket, following the skipper’s moronic charge down the pitch - to miss a straight one - with the score at nine.

With 20.4 overs left 107 runs were needed, it should not have been an onerous task, but for Barnes, at least one long innings was necessary. Now came Dunlop - he of the lop-sided calf muscles, his runner darting hither and thither to add singles that might not otherwise have been taken, or seen.

In his first full innings since his injury on tour Dunlop played very solidly and dropped anchor effectively while the Barnes middle order flailed (or do I mean failed ) about for fast runs. Seed looked useful but found it hard to consistently beat the fielders, and he perished at mid-on going for a poorly timed shot over the top. So at 70 - 4 the big guns were rolled out. Pettitt disappeared as fast as he had come, bowled first ball by Travers. Pete Tagg entered the fray, he had recently been in good form, but today his flame was extinguished at mid-on by Daniel Hogg, another Wimbledonian substitute, holding the catch off a top-edged swish. Now the score was 71 - 6. Frank Hanmer (10) then Webster (16) helped Dunlop raise the score to 118, and with twenty balls remaining 27 runs were needed. James Mundy, down the order to ward off the slim shadow of defeat helped add nine in six balls of which his contribution was two (in two). Well, I mean, another fourteen off the next twelve balls and then one boundary from the last two would have done it. And what a finish that would have been!

But then Dunlop was out, he too going for a big heave-ho, caught in the not very deep cover region, obviously slightly handicapped by his one short calf. He had earlier played the shot of the day - a booming straight drive for four. But at 42 his train was derailed, and in came the horse-less carriage that is Ian Haddow. Fortunately, bowling up hill, Gardiner failed to get more than one of his seven attempts at the number eleven on target. That one delivery prompted a huge "LBW" appeal from everyone but - strangely for a Haddow shout - not from those in the pavilion. Haddow survived the umpires twitching finger: "naw, ts’missin leg!" quothe the skinny northern gentleman, and the game was saved.