OSCC, 118 all out, beat Old Albanians, 110 all out, by eight runs
On the day that Luke Munt (pictured ablove) called time on his illustrious cricketing career, selling off his kit to raise money for charity (unfortunately it failed ro raise nearly as many pounds as Luke weighs - if it had we might have cured cancer), Offley recorded their second win of the Saracens campaign with a pulsating victory against the odds and Old Albanians.
Richie Barker, captain for the first time since the first victory against Albanians on June 1st, won the toss and elected to bat.
Barker got off the mark for the first time in three innings but was out moments later, leading to more observations on retirement, or at the very least dropping down the order.
His opening partner, Offley MVP Jamie Cummins, returned to the pavilion shortly afterwards as Offley slumped to 12-2.
Ben Southgate and Steve Bexfield added 60 for the third wicket. Southgate reached double figures for Offley for the first time at the seventh attempt and played some cracking strokes as he top-scored with 32 before failing to clear the infield.
Bexfield was out immediately and stomped back to the shed in high dudgeon, throwing gloves, helmet, bat and subsequently pads before sitting with his head in his hands entreating himself to be better than that.
Bexfield would not be the only distraught batsman to be dismissed this day.
Munt now took centre stage and his innings summed up his career.
Quick singles were turned down with contempt in favour of smashing the ball to the boundary. He struck five boundaries in all and also found the time to amble another five runs as he signed off with a glorious 25 before lobbing a catch to mid off.
Munt retires having scored 2407 runs from 129 innings at an average of 20.39. Additionally he held 39 catches and claimed 51 wickets at 24.37.
The best all-rounders score their runs at a higher average than they take their wickets. The stats reinforce the fact that Munt is simply all round.
Without Munt to anchor the innings - a massive anchor - the tail disintegrated with the sort of resistance traditionally associated with young ladies in the face of a Wayne Cutts charm offensive.
Danny O'Brien was undone by one that didn't get up much, Roger Piepenstock chipped a simple catch before the final three batters all fell without scoring.
In the process Bradley Lyons becoming the first batter to be bounced out at Offley in about a decade, eschewing the opportunity to duck underneath the bouncer and electing instead to jump up and head it in the apparent belief he was searching for a 90th minute winner from a corner.
The innings ended with Steve Denton bagging his third duck in a row. Denton has now scored one run in five innings this season.
Seven days after turning the promising position of 136-4 into 143 all out at Flamstead, 109-5 had become 118 all out.
Any chance Offley had depended on early breakthroughs, something that the Offley attack has not generally been synonymous with of late.
However, Southgate and Denton produced an inspired spell with the new ball to reduce Old Albanians to 30-4. Both claimed two wickets, Denton destroying the stumps with two swinging deliveries and Southgate picking up a pair of LBW decisions, which according to someone gave him three for the day.
A stand of 43 swung the game back towards the visitors before Munt, strategically placed at cover to take advantage of his athletic ability, leaped like a tin of salmon to grab a vital catch off Darren Lunney and make it 73-5 with 46 runs still needed.
The visitors advanced to 94 without further alarm before Barker ripped one out of the dust to bowl Dill behind his legs.
Two balls later Barker struck again, dispensing with the facilities, and snaring the hapless Ashton with a loopy full toss that the batter kindly lobbed to Lunney at square leg.
Nisar remained at the crease and the batter reached his 50 moments before Lunney ripped his final delivery through his defences to make it 100-8.
Cummins, previously hammered out of the attack after two profligate overs that were valuable only to the opposition, was now recalled.
A combination of lenient umpiring, timid batting and efficiently deployed boundary riders helped ensure his second spell was more economical.
Albanians advanced to 109-8 before O'Brien nearly pulled off a fantastic run out. Instead Danny gave a majestic impression of Adam Peaty swimming on land as the batters scrambled through for a single, youngster Black diving for safety and winding himself in the attempt.
This was all Cummins needed - a wounded teenager at his mercy.
Channeling the spirit of Matthew Freeman, another Offley nasty fasty who was at his fastest and nastiest when confronted by the young, the elderly and the infirm, Cummins produced a delivery that pitched and moved and clipped the top of the off.
It might have dismissed many a better batter, but why not make certain and castle a child?
Moments later it was all over.
Barker produced a delivery that turned and bounced and induced a leading edge that sailed softly into the hands of Lunney at square leg to prompt scenes of jubilation in the Offley ranks.
Offley have now won four times in 18 matches across the two leagues this season and it's worth noting a couple of things (and not the fact that if we played Old Albanians every week we'd be top of the league).
No one not named Barker has yet captained Offley to victory.
While 30 of the 44 players used by Offley during this campaign have tasted victory in a league game at least once, Marc Ward Saturday captain, leader and legend, is not one of them.
The veteran of seven heartbreakingly narrow defeatsin 2024 will be looking to change that at Berkhamstead on Saturday.
Or at least get closer than the 122 runs they gubbed us by last time....
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