Runs were flowing as freely as the champagne at the long-awaited revival of the Free Foresters and I Zingari fixture, and one man in particular drank his fill. Rob Jones, the former Glamorgan and Cambridge University all-rounder, made an unbeaten 200 out of the Free Foresters’ 295 for 2, hitting 30 boundaries from 174 balls across an outfield like glass. I Zingari’s Nick Harrap did his best to keep up with Jones, hitting the double-centurion for 28 off an over in his 76, but the reply ran out of steam at 270 for 9.

The Grasshoppers had no such problems as they paced their pursuit of Romany’s 299 for 6 to perfection. They posted the week’s first score of 300 thanks to Mark Turnbull’s 87 and Richard Thomas’ undefeated 52, strolling home with 10 balls and three wickets to spare. Romany’s Jim Chaudry had earlier made 101, his third successive score over 50.

Another masterful chase was undertaken by the Flycatchers to secure their first win of the week. The Gentlemen of Philadelphia thought their money was safe as they declared at 287 for 6, with Craig Joss unbeaten on 140, but they were bankrupted by Anthony Scammell and Miles Martin, who added an unbroken 127 for the fifth wicket.

In a run-drenched day, few bowlers kept dry but Michael Bax of the Band of Brothers brought his brolly. His six for 44 were the best figures of the week to date, and proved to be instrumental in his side’s seven-wicket victory over the previously unbeaten Hampshire Hogs.

The Stage lost their third game in a row, succumbing to the Gloucestershire Gipsies by 60 runs, although they had other matters on their minds. After the game, they were due to treat the other 27 teams to a cricketing revue at Keble College, with the audience dearly hoping for a better performance than the protagonists had put up on the field.

© The Cricketer