Club stalwart Hovey – who has been at the Hampshire League division one outfit for 17 years – has come up with an annual wager with the club's overseas player.

Hovey pledged to run around the boundary in his birthday suit if the new recruit hits a six in a league game at any point in the season.

But if they don't manage the feat, the naked run must be carried out by the loser.

After two successive lost bets in previous years, Hovey fancied his chances this season when the Bidbury Mead outfit recruited South Launceston's 19-year-old Australian leg-spinner Jeremy Jackson for the season.

But the 30-year-old batsman will wear only a pair of trainers and a smile on the final day of the season after Jackson clattered the first maximum of his senior men's cricketing career in the 73-run win over Calmore Sports.

Hovey moaned: 'It's been a long running thing.

'I've done it for the past three years now – and I've lost every time.

'I just started it for a laugh. I thought it would be good to humiliate an Aussie and see them running around naked.

'The first year I was doing the run and I got caught by a lady walking her dog – I didn't hang around for a chat, though!

'But this season I thought our new Aussie couldn't hit a six for toffee, being a leg-spinner.'

Jackson, however, identified his opportunity at the weekend in his quickfire 23 for Dan Clark's side to seal his own safety.

The Tasmanian – who had never left Australia before his visit to these shores – said: 'It was a full toss outside off stump, I shut my eyes, swung the bat and it sailed over mid-off.

'We had plenty of wickets in hand so I thought I wouldn't be in too much trouble if I got out going for it. It was probably the best opportunity I was going to get.'

Jackson added: 'I don't think anyone is particularly looking forward to watching Martin run around naked so I'm not really sure whether it was actually a good bet to win.

'But if I hadn't hit a six, it would have been me and that would be far worse.'

Hovey had already been bowled out for just three runs when the horrible truth dawned on him as Jackson's effort cleared the rope.

He said: 'I got an inside edge and played on so I wasn't having the best of days anyway. Then Jez smashed one and I knew I was in big trouble.

'There was a big cheer and the two batsmen were celebrating together – then Jez started waving at me.'

But despite another impending streak, Hovey is determined to get his revenge one day.

He said: 'People have told me that it might be time to come up with a new bet because I've lost three in a row. But I still think I'll win one so I will carry on every season until I get one of these Aussies.'