Lionel Length were the Horizontals' visitors on Sunday for the first ever meeting between the two teams and immediately won plaudits for being the first opponents this season to arrive on time for the designated 1.30 start at The Paulin Ground.

Having won the toss, the Lionels chose to bat with Amit & Scally opening the bowling for the home side. Three maidens ensued before Scally struck in the fourth over, removing both openers with the aid of sharp catches from Stiven and Arif to leave the visitors reeling at 1-2. Cullen & James painstakingly rebuilt the innings but were understandably wary of taking risks as they inched the total to 18-2 from the first twelve overs. The change bowlers maintained the pressure and the first boundary of the innings didn't arrive until the 17th over. Arif bowled a particularly miserly spell (6-3-5-0) before Winteringham bowled James for 28 in the 25th over to make it 59-3. Moritz joined Cullen and played some handsome strokes whilst maintaining the watchful tenor of the innings as the total reached 129-3 with 39 overs bowled and roughly half an hour's batting time remaining. At this point Cullen began to cut loose and the score began to escalate. Moritz fell LBW to Murray in the 41st over with the score 142-4 but this served only to bring in the giant Van Royen who announced his arrival by flicking his first ball (the trusty, waist-high, leg-stump full toss*) effortlessly for six. He then laid waste to the bowling with a shocking display of savagery, clumping the ball to all parts before being out-thought by Scally who induced him to sky to point where Wilcock held the catch. Amit struck twice in the final over of the innings to curtail any further frivolity but at tea the Lionels had recorded 204-7 from 47 overs. Cullen who batted admirably was 96 not out, the visitors having pillaged 62 from the final six overs. In the circumstances, Scally returned decent figures of 8-1-21-3 and Amit 10-3-38-2.

Facing a required rate of around 5 an over, Arif & Burgess opened the Horizontals' innings with the former especially looking keen to get a move on before being unfortunate to be deemed LBW to a ball that seemed to be passing over the top of the stumps. Burgess soon followed him back to the pavilion, tamely caught at cover and the Horizontals were 24-2. Form batsman, Amit again looked in fine nick and after Rahul had been bowled, he formed a flowing partnership with Bordin, the pair lifting the score to 123 before Stiven lost his concentration and was bowled for a pleasing 31 (5x4). By this point only 13 overs of the final 20 remained so the Horizontals required just over 6 an over for victory. Hopes remained high despite the fleeting innings of Wilcock, Winteringham and Fairbairn, but when Amit finally succumbed for an excellent 83 (13x4) the game was effectively up. (In his fourth match of the season, Pete had finally made it to the crease for the first time only to suffer a first ball dismissal). Murray (17 n.o.) struck some defiant blows and was doughtily supported by Skipper as the innings closed on 183-8 with 39 overs having been bowled.

Talk in the bar was of a moral victory, with the Horizontals having faced eight fewer overs than they bowled but cricket was the only victor and in the afterglow of an enthralling match we look forward to meeting the Lionels again next season.

* Purists may scoff but this has proved to be the most successful wicket-taking delivery of the Horizontals' season.