Chadwick 170 a.o. (Hopper 3-17, Mearns 2-46, Midmer 2-44) Headley 142 a.o.  (Midmer 40*, Bolton 24, Chew 21)

Things didn't start well. Midmer, on reserve tea duty, had stopped in at the local garage to feed 22 people. He decided on cheese, tuna, some jaffa cakes and chocolate digestives... and gambled on winning the toss
so that the aforementioned ingredients could be made up. Alas, on a wet pitch that would only appear to get wetter, the Chadwick skipper decided to have a bat... and Midmer knew it was over.

It wasn't just the loss of super-spinner Simon Moss to make the teas. It was the loss of confidence in the inevitable Headley juggernaut: surely the coin was meant to come down for Midmer, surely the Chadwick skipper had read his 'what to do when it's wet in cricket' pocket guide, surely the most talked about village side since the first hamlet in North Yorkshire won 20 straight games in the Spearing Moor invitational, surely that side could field a full XI. Surely? So surely? So surely that Take That would so?

But no. Not to be. Not on this stinker of a cricketing Sunday.

Still, for a while Headley fought against the tide during the Chadwick innings. Midmer bowling a stirring spell that once more raised heated discussion about when medium-slow becomes medium; as well as equally heated discussion about what merits a conviction for assault.

Chadwick were prized out for 170. And for a while Headley seemed serene.  You see that's what happens when you're on a winning streak, you don't see any problems, there are no clouds on the horizon: so what if you lose the toss, so what if you field with nine men, and who cares about the fact that the tea was heavily favouring tuna-lovers.

In fact, heavily favouring may not be doing justice to the sheer volume of tuna sandwiches on show. It felt like the world tuna eating championships had come to Headley and that the competitors had got lost on the way from Dorking.

And so it came to pass that an underfed Headley side went out to chase victory. (Although it should be mentioned that pizza was privately cooked for a lucky few).

Alan Clarke immediately tucked into the bowling in a way that suggested he didn't like tuna. A disdainful mid-on blast seemed to pave the way for a big score. But then he played on. And as the saying in the village goes: 'With Clarke so goes Headley'.

Smith knew it. And despite some forward and backward defences that seemed to ask to be photographed, some literally begging, he mistimed a drive and soon the Headley top order were imploding with the grace of a pitbull.

At 42 for 5, Hopper stepped out to the crease. And then stepped back inside to prepare the sausages. The number four - a new player who was looking quite solid - soon caught the bug and nicked behind soon after.

It was 43 for 7 when Chew - the inventor of the wicket taking bouncer, beamer and wide half-volley set up - stepped out to join his skipper.  Just for a while the impossible seemed improbable, and the improbable seemed possible.
Midmer batted heroically, refusing to buckle under the pressure of a heartbreaking loss. Chew batted with slightly more abandon but supported his skipper to the point where Headley were only 50 runs from victory.

And then Chew went. The dream was over. And Alex Mearns strode to the crease with only a draw to play for.

Still, Mearns was not about to go lightly and with Midmer looking as secure as the Bank of England circa 2006, Chadwick were forced to go to the very last over of the game.

They brought back their five-wicket destroyer and immediately he had an impact as Mearns was hit on the pad in precarious proximity to the stumps. The umpire was the new Headley player, and, clearly thinking Mearns was out, he showed a lot of class by raising his finger... and so finishing Headley's hopes of an unbeaten season.

Of course, there was talk of an inside edge later in the piece. And no doubt the discussion will rage on for as long as it took Hopper to cook the sausages. But the fact of the matter is that Headley were beaten by the better side on a day where not much seemed to go right. It happens sometimes.

But make no mistake, Headley will be back...although I'm not sure about Midmer's teas.