OJ PITCHER, although his all-round figures were negligible, made his most significant contribution yet to the promotion campaign of Pyrford, after sealing victory on Saturday with a wicket in the final over.

The match details suggest that Pyrford's 113-run win away to Marlborough (1870) was straightforward but the home team proved difficult to shift and, at 70 for nine, looked odds-on to secure a losing draw after the last pair had negotiated safely nine overs. But, on the fifth ball of what was Pitcher's sixth over, an inside edge somehow carried to leg slip who took a diving catch to his right to prompt the celebrations.

The result allowed Pyrford, who had laboured to 183 for nine declared in 54 overs, to keep pace with Kingstonian at the top of the Surrey County League first division. Both teams are perfect on 120 points after six matches and are everyone's favourites for promotion to the Surrey Championship third division, but Godalming, whose only defeat in an otherwise faultless start to the season came against Old Walcountians, are close enough to seize on any slip-up.

Pitcher, who finished with two for eight from 5.5 overs, is pleased with his bowling to date but the slow pitches in the early season have conspired against his batting prowess. The St. David's and Bermuda player has been left with egg on his face in recent times, when his tendency to play too early through the on side has resulted in leading edges. He was out for three to such a dismissal on Saturday while Chris Foggo, dropped down the order to number seven, made 13.

The pair had better returns in the Flora Dora Cup on Tuesday, with Pitcher making 22 and Foggo 33 not out, but Pyrford, after scoring 123, suffered a crushing, eight-wicket defeat to Brook, the Surrey Championship second division side, in the evening knockout competition, which is contested over 16 eight-ball overs.

"This is really competitive cricket," Pitcher said. "Even when you are playing against what are supposed to be weaker teams, they give you nothing. The level is definitely as high as we expected."

More is on the cards when they take part in their second match with BWIA Airlines on Sunday. The opponents are Spencer, a semi-professional outfit who are third in the Surrey Championship first division and have a membership that includes Alex Tudor, the England fast bowler.

The Bermudians' belated debut for the BWIA side ended with abandonment after Shepherd's Bush, of the Middlesex County League second division, were 71 for five after 22 overs at North Middlesex Cricket Club.

Ryan Steede, the St. George's all-rounder playing in the Warwickshire Cricket League with Atherstone Town, was given the all clear to return to action after breaking down in their previous match. But a second successive defeat left an air of melancholy with Noel Gibbons, the player-coach, calling a crisis meeting after a six-wicket defeat to unfancied Berkswell.

Steede complained of a thigh strain during the previous week's defeat to Coleshill but was fit enough to turn out last Thursday evening and then in the derby match at home to Berkswell on Saturday. However, after Atherstone Town scored 176 for four in a match reduced to 43 overs a side, with Gibbons making his season's best of 28, it was one-way traffic.

Steede claimed two for 61 in 13.1 overs and is beginning to feel, for the first time in his career, the huge weight of expectation.

"We all felt bad after the game," Steede said. "We missed a few run-outs and dropped catches, myself included. Gibbo (Gibbons) was not happy."

The Ratcliffe Road club is now sixth from 11 teams, 27 points out of the second promotion place having played a match more, and face a daunting trip to Dorridge, third in the league, on Saturday. Unless improvement is made immediately, the season could quickly turn pear-shaped.

"I never expected to be the main strike bowler when I came here but that has proven to be the case," Steede said. "I find myself bowling at the death in every match and that is where I have to improve; I have to be able to bowl at least three yorkers in an over because batsmen like the guy who made 86 on Saturday work the ball around so well."

The player in question, Nadeem Bhatti, left a mark on Steede in another respect as well. "This is turning out to be a very good experience," he added. "But I never expected him to chase me down at the end of the match to say, 'Well bowled'. He came a long way across the ground to say that. That (sort of sportsmanship) has never happened to me before."

Meanwhile, there were brighter fortunes for a certain left-hand batsman at Southern Railway of the Surrey Championship third division. Chasing 173 to win in 75 minutes and 20 overs, we somehow managed to settle for a winning draw against Old Wimbledonians after closing at 169 for nine. With four overs remaining we required 12 runs with six wickets in hand but a hat-trick in the third-from-last over ensured that we endured a third successive harrowing finish.

The winning draw felt like a loss, especially as a victory would have carried us to second place instead of our present position in seventh. I made 26, my best from six innings of a difficult start to the season, but was out to a soft dismissal that, from 110 for three, led to an unexpected exposure of frayed nerves.

All to play for.