Back row L to R: Tim Dixon, Adrian Zador, Mahesh Singh, Mike Glover (wk), Eddie Allnutt, Lucky Singh
Front row L to R: Chris Priest ©, Andrew Leckonby, János Mátyásfalvi, Sean Morrissey, Habib.

Next time you see Tim Dixon, just ask him what it’s like to field in a puddle the size of a squash court. Ask any of us actually.

Originally, this two-match tour was booked up as a Baggy Blues trip but in the end, with only six Baggies available, the XI who traveled hailed from 5 of the HCA clubs…. and so a new name was needed and we quickly christened ourselves The Hungarian Raiders.

Weather forecasts could not have been worse for this Pentecost long weekend but somehow the rains stayed away until the last hours of the second match and much decent cricket was seen at Budenec, the new home of the Croatian Falcons C.C (a club who see themselves as perennial challengers for the Croatian league title.)

After much rain the day before, half of the Croatian team had been at the ground for some hours before Match 1, manning the pumps and channeling standing-water away and so, despite the presence of several large puddles in the outfield, play was able to go ahead on the artificial wicket only a few hours late. Chris scrutinized the Croatian coin proffered for the toss and called “Fish”. Fish it duly was and the Hungarians elected to bowl, hoping to benefit from the sluggishness of the waterlogged outfield and from moisture in the air.

Habib, Andrew and Mahesh toiled hard with the new ball but breakthroughs were hard to come by as Croatians Butkovic, skipper Sinovich and in particular hard-hitting opener Juric (42) accumulated runs - and at 65 for 2 the hosts looked to be in a decent position. It soon became clear that bowling uphill out of puddles at one end was a thankless task so the Raiders focused their pacier efforts from the higher end.

Then Eddie Allnutt held on well to Juric’s power drive and from that point on things seemed to go right for the Hungarians in the field. Catches stuck, then a direct run-out and some miserly and deceptive bowling from Tim Dixon (6-1-18-3) from the Swamp End all contributed to the Croatians collapsing from 84 for 4 to a precarious 102 all out from 28 of their 30 overs.

Cometh the hour, cometh the Kiwi – the Raiders innings was built steadily around Allnutt’s unruffled 43 not-out, with Mike Glover (40) scampering two’s and even three’s without complaint (at least until in the bar afterwards). Eddie must have put a Christchurch curse on the ball as the Falcons dropped him five times, mostly in the deep (outfield not puddles).

After Mike was bowled, and perhaps looking to score the winning runs, first Sean, then Adrian and Mahesh misjudged balls they would normally have punished so it fell to the ever-cheery Lucky Singh to take us over the finishing line, the victory coming with 4 overs to spare. Of the Croatian bowlers, only wily captain Craig Sinovich had seemed a particular threat, again proving that crafty slow bowling is often the hardest to play on any surface.

Away from the matches, the team also enjoyed accommodation from both ends of the spectrum in Zagreb, some sightseeing, good food, the UEFA Champion’s League final viewed in the Old Pharmacy bar and rumour has it that Habib showed some slick moves on a nightclub dance floor. Thanks should also go to the travelling supporters Zsóka, Camilla, Móni and Erika, to Marianna who is quickly getting a name for herself as the most cheerful 4-colour scorer around, to Andrew for making sure there were 11 of us and to the five of the team who chauffeured the rest of us there and back.

Match Two on the Sunday (with Habib as captain) was washed out only half-played but, while play lasted, opener Allnutt, who was later deservedly named Man of the Series, had the Croatian bowlers on the ropes for nearly two hours (80 not out) and by the time that torrential rain sent us scampering for our cars the feeling was that we were not heading for a defeat. Just as a side note: the Raiders XI comprised 4 captains and 3 vice-captains past and present from the HCA league.

Over an Ojuszko beer or two before we headed back up the M7, the Croatians were invited to come and play a return fixture in Hungary in the summer of 2011, a challenge which they happily accepted.