After successive victories in the two previous finals of the Cricketer Cup Over 50s competition, Bradfield Waifs narrowly lost their crown to Old Tonbridgians in yesterday’s final. In what at times seemed a re-run of the main competition finals in the late 1990s, a glorious day at Bradfield produced some absorbing cricket.

Bradfield won the toss and fielded, with Jono Arscott getting Tonbridge off to a flyer, scoring 62 out of 98 made when he was well caught on the boundary by Will Kendall. From 98-3, the Tonbridge innings stuttered to 132-7 but Richard Arscott, the captain, made an important 34 in the middle order, marked by more rapid running between the wickets than seemed possible for this age group. From 154-8 there was a very valuable late flourish from Mike Wooldridge with 24 not out off 15 balls, he and Hugh Moxon taking what proved to be a crucial 17 off the final over. Stuart Seymour was the best bowler with 3-16 and Simon Gammell 2-39

The wicket was the same on which the low-scoring Cricketer Cup quarter-final had been played the previous Sunday, never that easy on which to score freely. The Waifs lost two early wickets to a good catch by Richard Arscott and then a run-out by him, but consolidated to 97-2 although 20 overs had been taken up getting there. Tonbridge had a surfeit of high full-toss no-balls, one of which left the imprint of the seam on wicket-keeper Mike Wooldridge’s forehead, but they weathered this and started to take wickets. The crucial one was that of Will Kendall, bowled by Tonbridge housemaster Kurt Seecharan, who later took a fine running catch over his shoulder at long-on to dismiss Craig Williams - a sequence his son, a professional at Notts, would have been pleased to emulate. Mike Nolan, Jamie Ford and Ali Owen-Browne all only conceded just over 20 runs in their 7 overs, each taking a wicket, and Hugh Moxon took two wickets. James Lee made 45 for Bradfield and James Grant 40 not out, but they were always behind the clock and finished 21 runs short.

The Cricketer Cup Over 50s competition has struck a real chord since Freddie Tulloch first suggested it, and he was rewarded by a win for Eton Ramblers in the Plate Competition at Winchester, with a six in the last over.