<p>Any lingering visions of a 'needle match' were quickly disarmed by an astonishing display of hospitality by the Mogs oldest and friendliest foes Headley as the season drew to its traditional bittersweet end at their charming, timeless ground on the Heath. After players and supporters had demolished a panoply of anglo-french delicacies (including a record 3 different varieties of pate) and more than their usual quota of Black Velvet, The Mogador's Captain Lewis won the toss for the first time in 9 games, and as is his preference wasted no time in insertion.</p>
<p>When the last of their players was finally coaxed from the pavilion well past the scheduled start time, the Mogs opened up with a classic combination of grunt and guile from Abbot and Briggs, the latter inducing a snick from the dangerous looking opener which was superbly snaffled by a clearly revitalized Colonel Parker. As ever runs were easy to come by at this fastest of scoring grounds, and Abbot was notably more successful at the newly launched Vainga Tuigamala lookalike competition than with a succession of thunderous lbw appeals</p>
<p> Freeland's own efforts to generate pace from a benign, spongey surface were frustrated by a near total lower-intestinal breakdown that also led to his summary removal from the Mog slip cordon, and it was the more subtle skills of Honeyfield that yielded the greater reward of 3 wickets for 39 from 6 dart-like overs. The most notable of these wickets was that of Headley captain Phil Chapman for 124 fewer runs than his match-winning effort in the August fixture to an astonishing tumbling catch by the Mogs' newly christened Maori, Abbot. However his 53 off 35 balls had given the home side the momentum to reach a respectable 202 from 38 overs before they were bowled out by an implausible caught and bowled by Tharp and the Captain Lewis's brutally efficient mopping up of the tail.</p>
<p>The little master Furner (8) had suffered a disturbing direct hit in the field when confusing head with hands, and this seemed to have affected his wiring as he whipped a couple of sweet boundaries to the fence in the style of Rohan Kanhai before being dispatched lbw. Freeland (14) similarly departed after a smattering of 4s before Fairclough (62), Turner (21) and the Mog CEO David Martin (40) swept the Mog innings forth like a galleon in full sail, with the target appearing larger on the horizon with each passing minute.</p>
<p>However a 20 minute break for heavy rain had the crucial effect of denying the Mogs 7 overs, hard earned momentum and also freshened up the pitch for Chapman to take four crucial wickets with his accurate seam bowling. As the equation evened out the game shuddered to a climax that captivated the large crowd of spectators, and with Abbot (15), Parker (15*) and finally Tharp stepping into the breach, a Mog win still looked on the cards with 8 runs needed from the final over.</p>
<p>5 from 2 became 2 from the final ball with a desperately sprinted 3 leg byes, but crafty spinner Cunningham held his nerve, and in failing light the final leg bye yielded only a dramatic scores-level draw as the Mogs ended on 202 for 6 from 37 overs.</p>
<p>An incredible end to a wholly satisfying season was toasted with further beverages of various alcoholic content as well as any number of the now legendary Headley Hot Dogs. Mogs proferred a further toast to one of their most stylish members on the occasion of a significant birthday, and the legendary 'silver fox' Robert Hewitt spoke for many when he said that one of the enduring joys of his life has been playing cricket at Headley</p>
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