Five invited guest teams, The Mighty Muppets (the holders), Oddsox, The Mob, Cheetahs and the Tiger Cubs plus the hosts, Mill Hill Diamonds were in competition this year, and what a competition it turned out. So, with the tea and bacon rolls consumed, it was down to the nitty gritty.

The Diamonds were matched up with The Mob and Tiger Cubs in the Yankees Conference, while The Mighty Muppets squared up with the Oddsox and the Cheetahs in the Mets Conference. In the Yankees Conference, first blood went to the Diamonds as they cruised to a comfortable win against the Tiger Cubs (19-8) and then confirmed their position at the top of the Conference with another victory against The Mob (20-9).

In the final match, The Mob secured second spot with a convincing win of their own against the Tiger Cubs (22-8). Over in the Mets Conference there was great competition. The Oddsox opened their account by easily defeating a weakened Cheetahs team (17-4). However, they were to come unstuck against the 2001 Superball Champions - The Mighty Muppets - who ran out comfortable winners (29-8) and striking a blow for the 3rd Division sides. With the wind in their sails from that victory it was no surprise that they then dispatched the Cheetahs in the final match (18-2) to secure the top slot.

At this point it was time for lunch, and what a spread that was! A barbecue serviced by Simon A.K.A. "Carbon-Man", and a fantastic selection of salads, chilli, crudités and, dare I say it the odd onion or two! Once the esteemed opposition were full to bursting the games restarted with inter-conference matches to decide the finalists.

The Diamonds continued where they had left off before lunch with a resounding victory over the Oddsox (15-5), but The Mighty Muppets found their grasp on the trophy crucially weakened when they were defeated by The Mob (10-3). The Tiger Cubs then recorded their only victory as they narrowly beat the Cheetahs (12-11) in a very tight match.

Going into their last match, The Mob knew that victory against the Oddsox would virtually guarantee them a place in the final. With that kind of incentive, The Mob upped their performance once again to record another victory for the 3rd Division over the Oddsox (14-9). The Mighty Muppets kept their chances of making the final alive with an easy victory over the Tiger Cubs (19-9)

Now, everything hung on the result between the as yet undefeated Diamonds and the winless Cheetahs. Victory for the Diamonds would see them face The Mob in the final, while a defeat could let the Mighty Muppets in through the back door. The great thing about sport is that you can never guarantee what's going to happen, but on this occasion the Diamonds kept to the script and recorded their fourth successive victory (19-3) to book their place in the final and therefore eliminate the Mighty Muppets as a result of their head-to-head record with The Mob. So, the final standings were as follows:

Team	W	L	RUNS +	RUNS -	RUNS +/-	PTS
DIAMONDS	4	0	73	25	+48	12
THE MOB	3	1	55	40	+15	10
MIGHTY MUPPETS	3	1	69	29	+40	10
ODDSOX	1	3	39	62	-23	6
TIGER CUBS	1	3	37	71	-34	6
CHEETAHS	0	4	20	66	-46	4

The Final also gave The Mob a chance to even the scores with the Mill Hill Diamonds. However, a now buoyant Diamonds team (with the Von Trapp family cheering from the bleachers!) still had plenty left in their locker and ran out winners in emphatic style (18-6) to record their first ever Superball Championship.

But what about the rain I hear you ask! Well, other than a brief flirtation midway through the afternoon, the rain dogs were kept on their leash (at least until next year!). So, in summary, a grand day was had by all, with excellent umpiring, a Buckingham Palace Garden Party quality lunch, competition of the highest level, and new Superball Champions MILL HILL DIAMONDS!