The Wanderers won the toss and batted first and were quick to profit from some loose opening bowling which was despatched with muscular efficiency. The Hawkley attack started to find their line and length and Mullard duly got the breakthrough by bowling Kelly while Lilly generated prodigious swing to induce Smith to edge behind where Usmar took an excellent diving catch. Thereafter tighter bowling kept the scoring rate down without taking wickets although a sharp piece of fielding from Hibberd ran out Maddison. As the innings drew to a close the scoring rate increased but at the cost of two further wickets which fell to Flack including Charlton who was bowled for a hard-won fifty.

Hawkley set out to chase 209 off forty overs which looked a reasonable target on a good batting track. The Wanderers’s opening bowling was accurate and Hawkley wickets fell quickly and cheaply, Toby Flack proving the exception to the procession of low scores as he hammered boundaries to all parts of the ground. Coming into the closing overs Hawkley needed six an over with three wickets left and Flack still at the crease scoring rapidly. Two Hawkley batsmen ran themselves out trying to give Flack the strike and the last man was at the crease as Flack drove yet another boundary to bring up his century. Twelve were needed off the last over and yet again Hawkley had a nail biting finish with any result possible. A couple of scampered singles reduce the deficit, however Flack’s valiant innings ended with a simple catch: a personal tally of 130 when the next highest score was 12 illustrates how totally he dominated the Hawkley score.

Once again a hard-fought and sporting contest ended with Hawkley being defeated by the narrowest of margins.