The French beating the English at their own national game?
Well it was the French national side and the English were Odiham & Greywell who hosted this special fixture at their lovely rural ground last Friday.
Odiham, in fact, have specialised in unusual fixtures over the years and jumped at the chance of playing France who, under coach Bobby Parks, the former Hampshire player, were on their way to play in the ICC Trophy competition in Canada.
Expatriate Yorkshireman Simon Hewitt elected to bat first in front of a large gathering of corporate guests and spectators.
Odiham skipper Steve Gosselin found himself without a wicketkeeper at the last minute, but out of the umpire's coat jumped veteran Alan Laycock, only too happy to come out of retirement.
Two more expatriates opened the France innings and Paul Wakefield and George James took a liking to the Odiham bowling.
No surrendering your wicket here. The pair put on 223 and both completed centuries before the visitors declared at a formidable 235-1.
Gosselin and Paul Campo replied with an opening stand of 41 before both were bowled by Guy Brumant who went on to take 4 for 34. Phil Martin snapped up three wickets and Shabir Hussain's classy wicketkeeping sealed Odiham's fate.
Janusz Kaminski, an Australian guest player from Hook, made a fighting 36 and Simon Massey hit 27, but it was only delaying the inevitable and the innings ended on 134 when the valiant Laycock was run out.
france xi
P Wakefield c A Turner b Nightingale 104
G James not out 102
G Brumant not out 1
Extras 28
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Total (for 1 wkt dec) 235
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odiham & greywell XI
S Gosselin b Brumant 17
P Campo b Brumant 20
C Turner b Martin 7
J Kaminski b Linton 36
A Webber c Shabir b Martin 1
D Hiscock lbw Martin 0
S Massey run out 27
A Turner st Shabir b Brumant 16
P Nightingale lbw Brumant 0
J Baylis not out 0
A Laycock run out 0
Extras 10
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Total 134
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Bowling: G Brumant 4-34, P Martin 3-12.