I DON'T care what anyone says, you need a bit of luck to win cricket matches.

When you are in form, it often feels like everything goes your way, and the opposite happens when you are struggling.

I saw something at the weekend that summed up that feeling in a nutshell.

For the first time in my cricketing life, my team - Greenmount - conceded eight runs off one ball.

I didn't think it was even possible, but it happened in our one-wicket defeat at Flixton.

A delivery by Phil Heaton was given as a wide down leg side and our wicketkeeper missed it.

Flixton's batters ran two as the ball rolled down towards the boundary.

Our fielder gathered the ball before it went over the ropes but his throw fell short of the wicketkeeper and hit a helmet we had put in the field.

That triggers an automatic five-point penalty so add them all together and the umpire gave Flixton eight runs.

We had the helmet out because we had a short-leg fielder, but he wasn't using it at the time so we thought the safest place to put it was behind the wicketkeeper. That's not the way it turned out though.

I must admit, I was laughing about it for the next couple of overs.

It just seemed bizarre - I always assumed the most you could concede from a single ball was six runs, but clearly not.

I wonder what is the most that's ever been conceded?

I think Steve Dublin holds the record for scoring the most in one over in the Bolton League. It was something like 48 - after smashing six regulation balls and two no-balls for six.

But I have never seen anyone concede eight from one ball.

Anyway, we are finding it hard enough to win a game at the moment without something like that happening.

But I guess that's just the way it goes for you when your luck's not in, you concede eight from one ball then lose by one wicket.

Don't get me wrong, you need ability and to play well to win matches and we are not showing that at the moment, but you also need a bit of luck - without that you will always be in trouble.