BK's long run of victories over Cincers ended in dramatic fashion at Greenwich Park today.
New signing Shebash and Tom blew the old enemy's under-strength attack apart in a hail of fours and sixes - one of them which even Big Jim would have been proud of.
On an unseasonally (this being summer and all) hot and sunny Sunday, Cincinnati actually managed to field 11 players.
Well, 13 actually, if you count Cincers' Dan and his three-month-old son Jack who turned up to watch us.
But BK could only muster seven.
They were hampered by various regulars shunning the real cricket for something called the Test Match at Lord's.
We lent them one (James, 'volunteered' by the Skip) but that still left BK two down on us.
The toss was won by the Skip who invited BK to sample the delights of Mohammad Asif steaming in.
Mohammad was only playing for us after the thwarting of an outrageous bid to pinch him by Cincers' semi-regular Abid for his own league side. Disgraceful!
The dispute, though, seemed to have taken its toll.
The seamer's radar was wonky and he bowled a fair few wides until a sharpish one pitched up outside off bounced and took the edge of opener Hassan.
Keeper Kevin made no mistake behind the stumps.
Nine for one.
The bounce probably took the batsman by surprise on this pitch, another dreadfully low, slow Greenwich Park track.
At the other end, Test Match was finding swing but no luck in a tight opening spell.
The big breakthrough, when it came, was thanks to Shebash.
Cincers' James, batting tidily at three for BK, clipped one of Richard's off-spinners to mid-off for what looked like an easy single.
But after a fatal hesitation from talented non-striker Farhan, Shebash threw fast and hard to keeper Kevin who calmly collected and whipped the bails off.
Richard claimed a slice of the glory. 'There's always a wicket in my first over,' he chirped.
Anyhow, a key wicket. 49 for two.
Meanwhile, latest Cincers' debutant Charlie Barker, a mate of Test Match's, had entered the fray.
He had kicked off with the odd loosener.
But the over after the run out, James's promising innings was ended when Charlie shivered his off-stick. 49 for three.
James had notched up 14, quite an improvement on his two innings for Cincers so far (both ducks). May he should play against us more often!
At the other end, BK's Dan's sweep shot against Richard went wrong and he had his stumps re-arranged. 56 for 4.
With Charlie clattering another BK wicket, the oppo stood at a perilous 58 for 5.
But hell, the Skipper hadn't had a bowl recently so on he came with his loopy (read it as you will) leggies with Rockie doing his meerkat immitation at the other end with his in-duckers.
Cincers was sharp today, not just with Shebash but with Charlie whose arm is going to be an asset to the team (if Abid doesn't try to poach him, that is!)
BK had put on another 18 when batsman Imran tried one too many cross-bat shots.
He fell LBW to the Skip. 76 for 6.
Last wicket pair Seb and Adrian, though, stuck around.
Even though the odd ball from the Skip did something unusual (i.e. spun) and Rockie bowled a very tight spell, the duo racked up a useful 30.
Eight of them came from one incident-packed over from Tom - so incident-packed that the bowler claimed one of his turned clean off the pitch. It's shown as a wide in the scorebook.
On 106, though, Seb darted forward to one of the Skip's trademark flights of fancy outside off, missed and was smartly stumped by Kevin.
Tea was served up by Test Match - a veritable feast of pasta, pizza, home-made sponge cake and brownies of course. Delicious.
Needing 107 off the full 35 overs, Cincers opened up with Shebash and Ali.
Despite a couple of early fours, Ali couldn't repeat his rapid 40-odd of a fortnight ago.
May be he was feeling unwell. He actually left one delivery outside off.
Eventually, he played on to BK opener Hassan. 12 for one.
Test Match has been in a rich vein of form for weeks but BK's opener Andrew ended it today.
He trapped him LBW even though he had got well forward. 19 for two.
A distraught Test Match then locked himself in the pavilion for 15 minutes, ostensibly for 'security reasons' while he had a shower.
Depleted they might have been but with Test Match gone, BK started to hope that once again, they were going to put one over on Cincers.
We'd also lent them a fielder (Charlie and then Ali) so they had nine on the pitch.
But the Shebash/Tom partnership soon crushed any victory dreams BK had.
Tom hit one extraordinary forward defensive-style six to the long-off boundary off Hassan who until then, had bowled very tightly.
But it was Shebash who stole the show.
The strokesman hit 46 in boundaries, six fours and three sixes.
One mighty blow to long-on off spinner Imran cleared the scoreboard, the spectators and almost the tarmac path before disappearing on only the second bounce into the flower beds on the other side of the pavilion.
As the end approached, the two batsmen started spurning the singles in favour of smashing the boundaries.
In the 21st over, Shebash put BK out of their misery and finished the game with a four.
A fine innings, ably partnered by Tom.
But thanks also to BK for sportingly playing the match with men short.
* Picture shows Dan and son Jack (overcome with emotion at our victory) with (left to right) new recruit Charlie, Test Match, Rockie and Tom.
** Next match - next Sunday (July 31) v SLICC at Haydons Road, Wimbledon.
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