11.15: Our bus departs L’Hotel de France.

11.46: Arrived at Stade Bretou. Ben Hampton won the highly controversial sweepstake to guess the time that the journey would take.

As we are a bit early, we’re going to do a bit of an Allstars Olympics. A bit like the Paralympics, only with less able bodied participants.

12.02: Ben won the throwing the cricket ball the furthest competition.

12.30: Team Bowman (Bowman, Abrahams, Hampton, Seth (sub: Jackson)) beat Team Chadwick (Chadwick, Allen, Dunkan, Rocket) at boules, final score 13-0.

12.35: Rocket was adjudged to have the most luxuriant sideburns.

12.41: In the changing room:

12.49: The team captains, Vivek and Sam Harrell:

Viv and Sam have agreed that Eymet will bat first in a 35 overs game.

13.27: A great start for the Allstars, restricting Eymet to 2-1 off 4 overs.

15.34: Tight bowling and disciplined fielding enabled the Allstars to bowl out Eymet for 112 in 33 overs. Skipper Vivek Seth led by example with figures of 2-10 off 4 overs. Paul Nicol weighed in with 4-9 and Jackson, Duncan, Abrahams, Hampton and Chadwick bowled parsimoniously.

A great team performance was marred only by the bowling of Paul Bowman, who opened the bowling with a disappointing spell of 4-2-3-2. He was charitably given another over at the death, in which he could manage only 2 wickets for 1 run.

For Eymet, Harrell top scored with 58.

The Allstars will now chase 113 to win off 35 overs.

15.52: James Hindle opening the batting:

16.22: After 9 overs, Allstars are 30-1, making stately progress towards the target. The man out is Ben Hampton, who hit some lusty blows for his 17.

16.37: Allstars are 46-1 after 14 overs. Run rate required 3.19.

16.53: Allstars are 71-2 (Hindle 25no, Bowman 14no) off 19 overs at the drinks break. Rob Jackson made a well judged 14.

As usual, GD is keeping score with the accuracy of a patent agent:

16.57: Allstars are 83-2 off 20. Run rate required is now exactly 2.

The tension is really building now as the Allstars sense the possibility of a first ever victory on foreign soil.

17.02: John Fabb has just come on to bowl for Eymet.

17.03: And he is Fabb – he’s got Hindle out off his first ball! James scored 38.

17.31: VICTORY! Your correspondent scored the winning runs and is too excited to blog!!

17.40: Allstars (113-6 off 28.3 over) beat Eymet (112 ao) by 4 wickets. Bowman (31no) and Abrahams (2no) saw the away team home, to record their first win on foreign soil.

The victorious captain:

Beer and Pizza with the oppo to follow.