It turns out that wins are like buses… you wait a year and then two come along at once. But how good it is when that second bus rolls along!!

A different format, a different pitch but the same tight, disciplined performance. This time it was STAGS being put to the sword by the SFDWP. Captain Richard Noden won the toss and elected to bat.

Phil Spencer and Mike Wallis opened and the augurs were not great when Wallis was bowled by a delivery that kept so low it shaved what little grass there was off the pitch. Phil Spencer opened more sedately than on Sunday but soon made up time. His 30 retired included five of the sweetest hit fours you will see and very quickly spread the initially close field.

Peter Church, making his debut for the Saddos, joined in the fun hitting four boundaries in his 22 and the tally reached 58 for 1 in only the eight over.

The quick wickets of Barton and Wilson changed the complexion of the game briefly but this was remedied by Pete Stauvers and Peter Cook.

Peter Cook’s 25 retired had Gower like grace to it as he deftly flicked the ball away for singles interspersed with four superb boundaries. Meanwhile, Pete Stauvers accumulated 24 runs with a combination of singles and four clubbed boundaries including a cracking drive that was the shot of the day.

By this time the buzzards were circling over the STAGS bowling attack and a good total was being built.

With Peter Cook’s retirement, Ian Holmes came to the crease for a cameo performance of 10 not out to cap his fine week with the bat.

The innings closed with the SFDWP having batted out their 20 overs and finishing on 129 for 4.

The tight bowling and fielding of the Saddos continued from Sunday with Jonathan Hook and Tim Winfield opening. Winfield accounted for an opening batsman with a blistering ball that scattered the stumps but the other, Robin, proved more of a barrier.

The first change of bowling brought on Roger Barton who prised two wickets. The first was a superb catch by Peter Stauvers making ground from fine leg to square leg to take the ball on the run. The second was a well taken catch by Tim Winfield at extra cover.

Richard Noden clean bowled the new batsman and, with the retirement of the remaining opening batter, the initially brisk run rate of STAGS had stalled.

Pete Stauvers capped his batting and fielding display with tight bowling that captured another cheap wicket. His all round performance earned him the man-of-the-match award but it was a close run thing as Phil Spencer was to turn in a magnificent performance at the close of the STAGS innings.

The drama unfolded as Phil Spencer initially saw off one batsman with a ball that wicket keeper Simon Wilson thought so good it needed catching three times. The next ball bowled the new batsman for a golden duck. Captain Noden called in the fielders to crowd the bat for the hat-trick delivery and the champagne at the Six Bells was already on ice. In the end, the ball was dollied over the heads of the close in field but the moral hat-trick was Spencer’s.

Mike Wallis and Peter Church both took out the batsman’s stumps with fine deliveries so with nine wickets down the only retiree of the STAGS innings returned to the crease. His presence was barely necessary though as Phil Spencer closed the innings with a brilliant direct hit throw from short cover.

The SFDWP had won the second game on the trot and well deserved it was. The all round performances of Phil Spencer and Peter Stauvers stood out but Richard Noden’s captaincy and the excellent wicket keeping of Simon Wilson deserve special praise.

The next match is the SFDWP nemesis, Fishers. What better form to go into the match with and a very real chance of reversing the defeat in the dark earlier this season.