Old foes Action CC were the opposition on drizzly evening at the Aigburth arena. The Bar batted first largely owing to the fact that only 4 Bar players were present. However, with an impressive looking top order of Armstrong, Chester and Clarke your correspondent sat down on the covered seating outside the pavilion in the expectation of having the opportunity for a lengthy discussion about Jonesy’s forthcoming trip to Mexico before being called upon. Any seasoned observer of Armstrong’s batting knows that he is a terrible starter. In the early part of his innings his footwork is shuffling, his timing awry and his temper frays. However, if Armstrong survives this period of maximum risk he emerges as a powerful stroke player, clubbing the ball to all corners of the ground (albeit mostly cow) like a man reborn. Unfortunately on this occasion he failed to survive the period of maximum risk, departing on 2/8. Chester and Clarke made healthy progress and soon the Bar’s innings was up and running again, Clarke in particularly catching the eye with a couple of big 6s on the leg side. However, just as he was looking destined for a consecutive big score, Clarke got an edge and was snaffled by the Action keeper, 17/9. Soon afterwards Chester was bowled, 23/16, and with 3 senior batsmen gone and fewer than 50 runs on the board the Bar’s innings was in danger of collapse. Batting sensibly and protecting one’s wicket is a skill which comes naturally to your correspondent, Austin however took a wild across the line hoik to his first ball which missed the stumps by the proverbial whisker. Notwithstanding this inauspicious start, Austin went on to play perhaps his finest innings to date in Bar colours. After steadying the ship your correspondent also freed his shoulders, the highlight being a big 6 to the long onside boundary (cow). In attempting to repeat the feat to bring up his 50 your correspondent was caught in the deep and departed for 45/29. Brownson, who had been patiently biding his time at square leg throughout the Harthan/Austin partnership, then missed his first ball which unfortunately happened to be straight and he departed for a golden. But, as we shall come to see, that setback was not to be the end of Brownson’s night. For the second time in the innings Austin’s response to a flurry of wickets was an across the line hoik but this time he was not so fortunate, 25/19. 120-3 with 5 overs remaining had turned to 120-6 with just the rugger buggers Baxter and Reeves to see things out. Fortunately the tail wagged and the egg chasers added crucial runs which took the Bar’s total to a very defendable 148 by the close. Both recorded red ink scores, Reeves 19*/17 and Baxter 12*/8. Much happened in the Action innings but really there is only one story. I shall mention in passing a devastating opening spell from Reeves and Brownson, the skipper’s tactical masterstroke in saving 1 over from Brownson to the death, a sharp catch behind the stumps, and Armstrong’s incredulity that your correspondent should show such disrespect to his “medium pace” as to stand up to the wicket. At the mid point of the innings, and with the Reeves, Brownson and Clarke having shouldered the bulk of the bowling duties to that point, victory for the Bar seemed assured with Action several wickets down and the required run rate creeping up towards double digits. However, 2nd and 3rd bowling changes are rarely to the Bar’s advantage and with 6 balls left Action were very much back in it. Baxter took a fine catch off the final ball of Austin’s spell but in falling backwards, and whilst proudly holding up the ball for all to see, it was readily apparent that his ample rear was over the boundary by a good couple of feet and a 6 was correctly entered in the scorebook. This left Action needing a very get-able 8 off the final over. Failure is not to be knocked down, failure is when you don’t get up again. And notwithstanding the demons which must have been circling given his failure to defend the final over in the previous game, Brownson again stepped up. And what a final over it was, steaming in with such pace and accuracy that a batsman on 45 runs was unable to connect. Each dot ball was met with a celebration from Brownson resembling that of Stuart Pearce when he scored his penalty v Spain in Euro 96. But, with the Home Run rule, jeopardy remained to the final ball. Jones having let slip to the opposition the outcome the last time Brownson bowled in such circumstances there was taunting from the boundary. But Brownson was unshaken and there was to be no repeat. A great victory that will live long in the memory, well done chaps. MoM; LMS awarded the MoM to your correspondent, but perhaps acknowledging that a factor in this decision was the erroneous attachment of Reeves bowling figures to Harthan, and in recognition of the mental and physical resilience it must have taken to bowl that final over, it must go to Brownson