Final of the Waveney Valley Mid Week Evening League / Cup

The two teams met at Garboldisham on a rainy Bank Holiday Monday afternoon having been thwarted in their attempts to play the match during an evening early in the summer.

Wickham won the toss and asked Tivetshall to bat first, Green and Smith got of to a steady start before Smith fell in the third of the fifteen 8 ball overs. Browne joined Green and the runs continued to flow. Green fell to a sharp catch off the bowling of Alexander for 16, Feaveayear struck the next ball to the same fielder who took another very good catch. Tivetshall were 28 for 3 with their most dangerous hitters back in the elegant Garboldisham Pavilion, Jackman strode to the crease determined to build an innings to see his team through to a good total, he and Browne ran well, turning one's into two's and picking up singles where there shouldn't have been an opportunity. Browne fell yorked by an unplayable delivery from Steed, Fidler, Flatt and Hood all ran well pushing singles to give the strike to the now dominant Jackman. Boundaries were rare but dot balls rarer as the Tivetshall total was accumulated. Jackman was out for 43 with just 9 balls remaining, with the sixteen year olds Dawson and Newman left at the crease they set about accumulating a further 15 runs without giving away a dot ball or a wicket. Jackman's innings was the backbone of a fine team effort against a Wickham attack that bowled well.

Tivetshall would have to bowl and field well to defend 125 against the big hitting Wickham batsmen. Smith opened the bowling with a tidy over that captured the wicket of Featherstone, Feaveayear although not as economical as Smith struck three times in his 3 overs to leave Wickham at 29 for 4 after five overs. Wickham were still in the game, but those boys Newman and Dawson had other ideas, first Newman turned a single into a run out with a superb pick up and direct hit; then they combined, Alexander caught Newman bowled Dawson and finally Dawson took two more wickets reducing Wickham to 45 for 8 after 11 overs. Hood picked up a further wicket, Bembridge and Browne bowled the final overs tidily to round off a true team effort.

Thanks must go to Garboldisham CC for hosting the final, Dave Thomas for umpiring, John Evans for organising the competition, D A Browne and Son (Family Butchers of Diss) for sponsoring Tivetshall CC, and to both teams for the sporting and friendly manner in which the game was played, proof that you can have fierce competitiveness without bad temper.