There are certain fixtures on the Woodpeckers calendar that arrive wrapped in comforting predictability. Chiddingfold is one of them. A pretty ground in Surrey. The smell of cut grass and timber. The gentle hum of village cricket. And, for the previous five years, uninterrupted sunshine.

This year, however, the cricketing gods decided to experiment.

Upon arrival, there were spots of rain in the air, enough to prompt concerned glances skyward but not enough to justify any actual action. More noticeable was a second atmospheric condition: expectation. The Woodpeckers arrived seeking an eighth consecutive victory, a statistic that may or may not represent some kind of club record, depending entirely on how much research one is willing to undertake.

The situation was not helped by Chiddingfold fielding what appeared to be most of their first XI after Saturday cricket had been cancelled. Faced with being players short and waiting for reinforcements to emerge from the traffic, Pobs was also confronted with moisture in the pitch from Saturday’s incessant rain and decided the Woodpeckers would field.

Whether this was tactical genius or temporary insanity remained to be seen.

First to test the theory was Spinach from the road end. His opening delivery behaved less like a cricket ball and more like a small woodland animal, bouncing several times before reaching the wicketkeeper and conceding byes. If there were concerns about the pitch, they had been confirmed immediately.

A few overs later, the delayed arrival of Scuba Steve finally materialised. True to village cricket form, he wandered directly across the field and behind the bowler's arm during Groundskeepers run, en route to the pitch, displaying a level of unmatched chill.

The pavilion end offered rather more assistance and Groundskeeper quickly found enough movement to remove opener J Benbough, inducing a catch that Potty accepted with all the emotion of a man checking the weather forecast. Forty runs later the pair combined again. Still no fuss. Potter, concealed behind dark sunglasses, had begun collecting catches with the detached efficiency of a Terminator programmed exclusively for fielding.

At 50-3, Spinach joined the fun by bowling B Duddel and activating Chiddingfold's magnificent illuminated stumps and bails, perhaps the most technologically advanced feature in village cricket.

The scorecard looked encouraging, but Chiddingfold captain S Benbough was quietly steering matters in the opposite direction. He accumulated runs with irritating competence and appeared increasingly difficult to remove. The search began for a Snax special, one of those hooping deliveries that arrive from a neighbouring postcode. When that failed, persistence succeeded. Drawn into playing at a wider ball, Benbough miscued and scooped it most appropriately to Snax’s ‘friend’ Kevin aka Thrasher.

A special mention is required for Thrasher, whose fielding performance bordered on the obsessive. Throughout the afternoon he hurled himself around the covers with reckless enthusiasm, stopping cricket balls using hands, legs, arms and on at least one occasion what appeared to be his backside.

At 77-4, the Peckers felt firmly in control and whispers of a sub-150 total began to circulate.

Village cricket, naturally, had other ideas.

Kamikaze and Potter shared duties through the middle overs. Kami, bowling medium pace by special request and perhaps under protest, collected a wicket with a disguised top-spinner that clipped middle stump. Potter induced an edge from Thorpe which looped high into the air and was safely gathered by Cat after a lengthy pursuit conducted almost entirely blind.

By 127-7, Chiddingfold appeared vulnerable, but the lower order displayed considerably more resilience than was polite. Levack in particular launched a late assault, dragging the hosts towards a more respectable total before Pobsy added his name to the wicket column, caught by Potter making it a brace of catches. Chiddingfold closed on 175, a fair total on a difficult pitch

Groundskeeper finished with 2-24, wickets were shared around, and there was even a rare run-out involving Pobsy and Cat. The target stood at 176.

Lunch was served inside Chiddingfold's wonderfully compact timber clubhouse. The sandwiches were excellent, the cakes plentiful, and the chicken-and-tarragon filling represented a bold but successful departure from village cricket convention. Chiddingfold continue to make extraordinary use of a modest footprint. The neighbouring residents, apparently, do not always share this enthusiasm, but from our perspective, the place remains a thriving monument to community cricket.

Refuelled and optimistic, the Woodpeckers began their chase.

The optimism lasted exactly four deliveries.

Kamikaze departed in the fourth ball of the innings. Given his recent form, this felt rather like discovering your star striker has slipped on the team coach. He saw the ball, attempted to hit it, and succeeded only partially.

There was a strong chat about feet with Kami and Potty……might be a podcast idea?

Cat and Scuba Steve set about rebuilding. Cat was punishing anything loose before falling for 20, while Scuba Steve was adjudged leg before for 8. The Woodpeckers suddenly required stability.

Enter Dog.

Making only his second appearance for the club, Dog arrived at the crease alongside Kwakka and immediately attracted the attention of Pobs.

"I think we might have a good one here," came the quiet assessment.

What followed suggested this may have been the understatement of the afternoon.

After a cautious start, Dog began accumulating singles before unveiling a boundary. Then he suddenly produced a massive straight six that was a still going up as it traversed the road a six. Then another. Then several more. As his confidence grew, Chiddingfold's hopes diminished at roughly the same rate. Whether it was the benefits of a Sedbergh education, a childhood spent on a hay farm, or simply an ability to strike a cricket ball a very long way, Dog had announced himself with haymakers aplenty.

His 73 from 47 balls transformed the chase.

Meanwhile, Kwakka performed the role of standing at the other end, nudging the ball around and contributing 31. Together, they added 104 runs and effectively settled the contest. too modest ..Kwakka’s elegant drives and cuts were a wonderful foil for the Dog’s brutal bludgeoning at the other end.

By the time Dog was finally caught on the boundary, the Peckers were within touching distance. Groundskeeper completed proceedings with 28 from 25 balls, an excellent all-round game for him. He was supported by Thrasher's unbeaten 8, and the target was reached with six overs to spare.

Victory number eight.

The sunshine may have deserted Chiddingfold for the first time in years, but thankfully, the Woodpeckers had not.