It was the mid-1980s and the Wyllie’s Crossing Wanderers were facing a tough battle in the semifinal of the twilight competition.
"We were in a bit of trouble in the last over," team member Peter Russell said.
"Billy Somerville, who was one of our top players, he sprinted 30m or 40m around the boundary and held his hand up and took a catch which got us in the final.
"Only he could have probably done it."
Somerville was named man of the match and the team celebrated at its club room — the wool shed in Wyllie Crossing — that night.
There will be many stories like that shared when the Wyllie’s Crossing Wanderers players and partners reunite this weekend.
The team was formed in 1979, when a Wyllie’s Crossing school teacher organised a cricket game against fathers from the school in Berwick one Sunday.
The fathers enjoyed it so much that another game was arranged shortly afterwards.
From there, the wanderers played teams from North Taieri, Outram, Owaka and Hawea, among others.
"The word got around that it was a pretty good way to spend a Sunday and teams wanted to come out and play us," Mr Russell said.
They also took a trip to Australia one year — their wives were "magic" at helping with the fundraising.
Their peak performance came in their third year of competing in the Otago cricket twilight competition.
The twilight team was set to play at the University Oval, the number two ground at the time, but Carisbrook suddenly became available.
Otago had been competing in a Plunket Shield match beforehand and had wrapped up early.
"There’s two or three or four good senior cricketers in there [the Wanderers], but for us fellas it was a big honour to play cricket at Carisbrook," Mr Russell said.
They won the game, much to the delight of their 40 supporters who caught the bus to Carisbrook armed with home-made signs.
The twilight team was slightly different from the Sunday team — some of those who played on Sunday had less time to play during the week, but still enjoyed it when they could.
"We had a great community at Wyllie’s Crossing," team member Ross Stevens said.
"It was a magic way of bringing children up in those days."
The idea for the reunion came after one of the team stalwarts died last year.
Most players were in their 70s, and a few in their late 60s.
"We’re all going to fall off the perch sooner or later so we better get it done," Mr Russell said.
About 40 players and their partners will have a meal together on Saturday night, followed by a barbecue at a player’s house on Sunday.
"It’s great to be able to get together," Mr Stevens said.
"There will be a bit of laughing going on.
"The friendship we built among us all was fantastic and it’s showing now with all these people turning up."
