The cricket square at Dulwich College is one of the finest you are likely to encounter, the Dulwich Dusters team, made up of teaching staff, is one of the toughest that the Gold Bats encounter in their short cricketing season. The cricket tea is one of the largest and most generous spreads to stagger humanity. So it was not a surprise to find a good crowd gathered to watch as Umpire Hedgcock gave an imperious wave to the bowler at around 4.35 in the afternoon to signal that the game was underway. Little did they realise what excitement and tension there was to come.

It was a brisk start. The Gold Bats had elected to bat and Mark Wilcox dispatched two boundaries to leg in the first over. His fellow opener, who else at Dulwich but Mike Jackson, then gave a sharp chance to slip which was duly dropped. The partnership was underway.

This was a good thing. The next half hour saw a constant stream of Gold Bats regulars arriving, cricket bags in tow and apologising for the appalling traffic. By the time the full team had arrived the opening stand was still in full flow. Indeed it became a record for the Gold Bats at this fixture. It was not until the dizzy height of 48 runs that the first wicket fell with Mark Wilcox run out for 15. Shortly afterwards Mike Jackson was retired, having reached the limit of 25.

None of this stalled the progress of wides interspersed with boundaries. Richard Heard played a strong innings which ended with a towering six and his retirement on 25. Oliver Wise skied a catch. It was 87 for 2 off 14 overs. Shortly afterwards Norman Murphy, the Society’s Remembrancer, forgot himself while umpiring and gave Jonathan Fisher out lbw. He later confided that he had been studying the Laws of Cricket over dinner for the whole of the preceding week and he had been seen practicing the more arcane umpiring signals by the pavilion before the match had started.

His judgement on what might have happened was sorely taxed in the next over. A quick run was taken which looked to be an easy run-out chance. This was somehow missed and turned into an overthrow. The enthusiastic batsmen ran again and once more found themselves hopelessly short of their ground. The fielders were so excited at this prospect that they threw the ball to the wrong end! By this time umpires were revolving on their heels, spectators were confused and the scorer had dropped his pencil.

This excitement was then followed by the moment which all aficionados of this match look forward to: The Bowling of Lobs. Will Casson was the man deputed by Dulwich to bowl the demon underarm deliveries. And immediately the game moved up another ratchet of tension. Casson’s first ball drew a catch to mid-on, which was dropped. Then second ball he had the Gold Bats captain, Bob Miller, out lbw for three. Meanwhile Julian Hill was batting in a carefree way. One soaring six scattered startled spectators and rattled around the pavilion seats. He duly retired with 26 to his name.

The battle of the lob bowlers was joined again. Casson bowled the Gold Bats lob bowler, Darryl Lloyd, first ball. And the 20-over innings came to an end on a solid 137 for 5. It was generally felt to have been one of the Gold Bats' stronger efforts. And then it was up the Pavilion stairs for the tea. This had been keenly anticipated. In mid-innings a Dulwich Dusters fielder on the boundary by the pavilion had looked up to the balcony and with a wafting gesture announced that he could smell the cakes already.

The upper room of the Pavilion at Dulwich has recently been restored. It is lined with wood panelling on which the great cricketing teams are lettered in gold, year by year over the generations. In the year 1900, in a neat conjunction of fiction writers and characters, you could find Wodehouse PG batting one up the order from Sherlock WV. The ghosts of cricketing schoolboys past must have gazed down at the tables of tea in wonderment. Victoria sponges battled with cherry cakes, bridge rolls were elbow to elbow with cucumber sandwiches and the bowls of strawberries and cream stretched almost as far as the eye could see. And the result was exactly what good cricket teas set out to achieve. They slow the opposition down.

In the first over of the Dusters innings, Scarisbrick played with enormous confidence and was caught in the slips by Bob Miller off the bowling of Chris Read. It was 5 for 1. ‘Too deft too soon’, commented one of his teammates. Another expansive Dusters shot was dropped. And then another was taken in the slips after some juggling by Chris Read off the bowling of Jonathan Fisher. 10 for 2. There then followed some solid batting before Simon Bryan retired at 26.

Darryl Lloyd came on to bowl lobs for the Gold Bats. The umpires were then seen to be conferring. Surely it couldn’t be the light, not with a lobster bowling. And it was the most beautiful summer’s evening. ‘I don’t think Norman took his light meter out there with him’, commented the scorer. An lbw decision followed. And then came a neat reversal. In the Gold Bats innings the Dusters lob bowler, Will Casson, had taken the wicket of the Gold Bats lob bowler, Darryl Lloyd. Here was Will Casson now batting for the Dusters and scoring freely. But when he had reached 23 he was caught by Oliver Wise off Darryl Lloyd. Lobster outwitting lobster in either innings. It was 70 for 4 off 11 overs, and becoming tense.

Julian Hill bowled another Duster to make it 74 for 5. Al Kennedy retired having reached 25. And then Mike Jackson came on for a deadly spell. He bowled Quilter - 106 for 6 off 14 overs. He bowled AA Milne (yes really) - 113 for 7 off 16 overs.

Oliver Wise came on to bowl and taking his time and a deal of ingenuity set a crafty field. Ellis took a huge swipe at the first ball and was bowled - 114 for 8. At 120 for 8 a catch was dropped off a mighty hit. The tension, or the late effects of the tea, was getting to the Gold Bats. Simon Bryan returned, having previously retired. He hit a huge six - 126 for 8 off 17 overs. He reverse swept Bob Miller. 131 for 8 off 18 overs.

Then Oliver Wise bowled Pavey. It was 131 for 9. Seven runs to win. Kennedy hit a six. The scores were level. It was the final over. Shots were blocked. Then there was a sudden desperate swipe from a Dusters batsman. The mighty form of Chris Read tumbled in a cloud of dust and somehow managed, with all the deftness of a large man sprawled across the pitch, to run the last man out. It was a tie. Not only that. It was the old school tie.

Gold Bats 137 for 5:
Jackson 28, Hill 26, Heard 25, Wilcox 15 and the ever-welcome Wides 11. Casson 2 for 13.

Dulwich Dusters 137 all out:
Bryan 26, Kennedy 25, Casson 23. Wise 2 for 18, Hill 2 for 13.