(guest review by Kevin Cockerill: thanks, Kev!)

This week saw us take on the Pickwicks of Stowmarket but in Bayhlam: stay with me, you can get easily lost on these back roads. We were pre-warned not to park at the hall as an ongoing neighbourly dispute meant we had to drive up the road to the church and use their grounds. When we arrived it started to feel very familiar to me, like a scene from a made-for-TV scary film that still lurks in the shadows of my childhood memory. Walking down a dark narrow road without any lighting apart from a solar powered, wind up torch, courtesy of Mother Nature's forgotten son, Andy Cassy.

We made it to the village hall without bumping into Mr Soul and his glowing bottle of holy water, in which we were rewarded by a vision of freshly made sandwiches and mince pies. Welcome to Baylham.

I am given the chance of first blood to which I respond with a resounding 3-0 defeat. Luckily Mr Cassy wins the next to square it 1-1. Steve makes it 2-1 to us before I lose the next match in a thrilling 5-ender to again level it at 2-2, but once again Mr Cassy, who is on form and on target, puts us ahead. With Steve winning his next match it is 4-2 and time for those sandwiches: do I don't I? "Winners only", Andy informs us all. Then I dig in, accepting he means the team and not individuals but too hungry to check.

Energy levels suitably replenished, Steve takes to the floor as does a ladybird awoken by the now warm breeze of the electric heater which sits noisily in the far flung corner of the hall. Steve loses and now with my final match I have one last try to break my duck and win a match... which I do, and at 5-3 it secures our unbeaten run for another week. Andy's last game secures our 6th point of the night and it is down to the duo of Andy & Steve in a thrilling 5-ender win to make it a conclusive 7-3 final score!

Thanks to Pickwicks for the hospitality and great team spirit. Look forward to returning the honour in the new year.