KING’S Road cracked open the bubbly to mark their historic 100th match with a corking game against the Battersea Badgers at the weekend.

On a glorious sunny Saturday at Haydon’s Road in Wimbledon, the history boys – who turned up dressed for the occasion – were given a guard of honour onto the pitch by their olde enemy.

It almost seemed as though a win was written in the stars and at tea that looked very much the case after King’s Road rose to the occasion in the first half of the game.

Facing a prolific Badgers line-up that had lost just once in six games this season, the Orange Caps sent down 40 overs of on-the-spot accuracy to restrict their rivals to a modest 159.

The fielding was sharp, and every bowler was having a good day – what could possibly go wrong?

But it wouldn’t be King’s Road without a wobble and what followed was a traditional batting collapse that, appropriately enough, conjured up memories of the old days.

After losing the toss and being put in to bowl, The Road’s openers started superbly. Matt Glover picked up 1 for 14 in his first 5 over spell before finishing with 3 for 22 while Kevin Pittaway, bowling from the Nutters End, was just as tight taking 1 for 12.

At 29 off the first 10 overs, the Badgers were struggling to get their innings under way and when Shailesh Joshi followed that up with 2 for 30 and James Couldrey took a wicket for 34 it was looking hopeful for The Road.

Captain Matt Cocken and Dan Howard continued to good work with tidy spells in the middle overs but were unlucky not to get a wicket before breakthrough man Jamie Keating took 2 for 16 and Leon Watson wheeled away an economical 1 for 6 off 4.

Only Stuart Barker and Alex Morse got past 20 for the Badgers before at late flurry of runs from Badgers stalwart Andy Thorpe, returning to the side on a visit home from his workplace in Qatar, hit a run-a-ball 30 before the close.

The only time The Road have bowled out the Badgers for a lower score than 159 in a 40 over match was five years ago. And guess what? That was in King’s Road’s first recorded match on April 27, 2008.

That day the Badgers scored 113. However, this time The Road were to stoop lower.

The Badgers started their overs like a train with Robin Mackrell, so often a tormentor of The Road, blasting out captain Matt for a duck with a vicious in-swinging yorker in his second over.

Raju Mazumder survived until the sixth before playing onto his stumps from Allen for 2. Shailesh became Robin’s second victim, bowled for 6, and then Dan Sherman followed for a second duck.

Displaying a similar ability to extract late swing, Allan Blake weighed in with the wickets of Giles Fagan, for 2, and Jamie, 0, to leave The Road in disarray.

He then picked up a third quick wicket getting Dan H out for yet another duck.

Only Glover had any answer as he hit seven boundaries, including a 6, on his way to 40 as the wickets tumbled around him.

Leon was run out on 2 before The Road’s only hope Glover departed leaving James and Kevin, numbers 10 and 11, at the crease. Kevin hit 12 and James managed 4 not out, but by then the game was finished.

King’s Road had lost the historic 100th match – although that was not enough to dampen celebrations.