TILFORD'S 125th anniversary celebration cricket weekend attracted big crowds, especially on Friday evening when spectators flocked to see Seb Coe's Olympic team take on Tilford in a Twenty20 match.

The village side batted first at The Green and posted a challenging total of 151-9 in their 20 overs, with the major contributions coming from Mark Bussell and Nigel Martyn.

Pick of the visiting bowlers was former Warwickshire and England one-day player Neil Smith who bowled three overs for just nine runs, putting a brake on Tilford's push for runs in the closing overs.

Tilford fielded their own celebrity in Rob Andrew, the former England and British Lions fly-half and a one-time first-class cricketer, who played 17 matches for Cambridge University in the 1980s and has a century against Nottinghamshire to his name. He brought forth much raucous laughter when he called to take a steepling catch – and spilled it.

The invitation team made a steady start, but appeared to have left themselves too much to do when 10 an over were needed from the final five.

Neil Smith showed why he had appeared in seven internationals for England in the 1990s by marshalling the middle order and reducing the target with a series of fours and sixes.

There was huge applause and anticipation when Seb Coe came to the wicket with four runs needed from 10 balls. His Lordship managed not to trouble the scorers with the four remaining balls of the penultimate over, leaving Smith to face Nigel Martyn, whose three previous overs had been miserly, although wicketless.

A tactical error by Smith resulted in a bye off the first ball, leaving three runs wanted from five balls. Somehow, Lord Coe managed to get his pad in the way of the next four and finally laid bat on ball for the last delivery and scampered two runs at breakneck speed to secure an improbable tie.

An entertaining evening had been enjoyed by players and spectators alike and a return fixture for the same date in 2011 was agreed.

TILFORD 151-9 (N Martyn 24, M Bussell 23; E Hughes 2-23).

LORD COE'S XI 151-6 (N Smith 49 not out, A Ruxton 27, S Massie-Taylor 22; M Gorman 2-36).

Match tied.