A VERY special cricket match took place on Saturday when a pitch magically appeared from under the Tamar River at Weir Quay due to an exceptionally low tide.

Cargreen Yacht Club had challenged Weir Quay Sailing Club to a match on the sandbank, just upstream from Halton Quay.

Both teams gathered for a barbecue on the Devon bank followed by the singing of team songs: Trelawny by the Cargreen Youth Choir and Drake’s Drum by the Tavy Tars.

Before the match could start, the Cornish Wreckers Morris Men were ferried to the pitch to perform their dances as a blessing to this new surface.

Then, with time ticking away before the tide returned to reclaim the pitch, the match began.

There were paddlers, not fielders (defined as water up to welly height) and outer deep fielders in boats.

Weir Quay employed an additional fielder in the form of a retriever dog who, unfortunately had a tendency to run off with the ball just when it was needed for a stumping.

The match was played for high stakes with the winner allowed to choose how the cream tea would be served. Cream or jam uppermost — a highly contested issue between these Devon and Cornish sides.

Spectators crowded the muddy Devon bank alternately cheering and laughing at their sides.

Finally, as the water started to flood back and the weather took a nasty turn for the worse, the scores had reached Cargreen Yacht Club 42 and Weir Quay Sailing Club minus 16 (yes minus, something to do with the strange rules for river cricket) and the match was declared over.

So it was off to the Cornish side for cream teas before the cricketers could become stranded as the river reclaimed its own.

And, yes it was ‘cream on top!’ But never mind Weir Quay Sailing Club, there’s always next year.