Disclaimer: All characters belong to HiT Entertainment.

Chapter 1

"Four!" Tom shouted as the cricket ball went flying towards the wall.

I'd already started running down the pitch, so I quickly turned around and dashed back to the safety of my crease. I touched the tip of my bat on the line before Arnold had even caught the ball.

"Come on, you lot!" Station Officer Steele teased. "You're not even trying to get us out!"

I positioned myself back in front of the wickets. "Don't egg them on, sir, or they might start getting serious about this game!"

It was a beautiful summer's afternoon in the last week of August, and my colleagues and I were playing a rather vigorous game of Twenty20 cricket. It was seniors versus juniors, so that meant that Elvis, Arnold and Ellie were versing Station Officer Steele, Penny and myself. Tom had been roped in as the independent umpire and score-keeper. Aside from the normal rules for Twenty20 cricket, we'd added a few of our own, primarily because our cricket pitch was around the back of the fire station. The stone walls marked the boundary, so you were automatically out if you hit the ball over it. And, if you broke a window, you had to pay for it.

"How many more runs do we need to win?" I asked Tom.

Tom consulted his score-sheet. "Thirty-eight. And you have six overs left."

"Easy-peasy!" I smirked. I tapped the tarmac with the tip of my bat, ready for the next delivery.

"Let me have a bowl, Elvis," Arnold said. "He'll just keep hitting fours and sixes if you keep bowling the way you are."

"Okay, then," Elvis agreed.

Ellie crouched down behind the wickets behind me. She was the wicket keeper for the junior team, so she was wearing large, protective gloves, and a cricket helmet. I was also wearing a cricket helmet, gloves, and shin and arm pads. We didn't used to wear so much protective equipment, but after Elvis had nearly had his jaw dislocated by a bouncer a few weeks earlier, Station Officer Steele had decided that we could only continue playing cricket games if we wore proper protection. The last thing any of us needed, or wanted, was for one of us to be out of action due to a cricket injury.

Arnold started his run-up. I kept my eyes focused on the ball in his hand. He pitched it, hard and fast. It would've been a bouncer if it hadn't hit an uneven dip in the tarmac and bounced wide. I darted to the side, but it caught the outside edge of my shin guard, connecting with a solid 'whack!'

"Ah!"

"Sorry, Sam!" Arnold immediately apologised.

"Wide ball!" Tom called.

I bent down to adjust my shin guard. "Not your fault, Arnold. Lucky I was wearing these, or that would've caused a nasty bruise!"

"And quite possibly have lamed you for a week," Ellie added.

"That too," I agreed.

A couple of minutes later, Arnold bowled his next ball. It was a googly, but I was prepared for it, and I managed to hit it off the top edge of my bat. It flew straight up into the air. I immediately started running.

"Just one, sir!" I called to Station Officer Steele as I ran past him.

"Mine!" Elvis called. He stood underneath the ball, ready to catch it as it came down. I stood at the other end of the pitch, waiting to see if Elvis could catch the ball.

He didn't. It slipped straight through his fingers. "Again, sir!" I shouted as I promptly took off running, taking advantage of Elvis' clumsiness as he fumbled around for the ball.

"Throw it here, Elvis!" Ellie shouted. Elvis did so, but I was already safely back inside the crease.

"Well done, Sam!" Penny called from the side-line. "Try and hit it over the roof this time!"

I chuckled. So far, none of us had been able to even hit a ball onto the roof, let alone over it. I'd come close during our last game three days earlier, but it had hit the gutter and bounced back down.

"Come on, Arnold!" Ellie encouraged. "We need to get Sam out, so we can win for once!"

"I'm trying!" Arnold replied. "Trouble is, he's too good at this."

I couldn't help sniggering. Arnold sneered.

"I'll get you out, Sam, if it's the last thing I do!" Because I'd stirred him up, his next bowl was a super-fast bouncer. I instinctively ducked as the ball flew over me. Ellie caught it easily.

"Oi! Watch those bouncers!" I shouted.

"You should've been paying attention!" Arnold retorted.

Oh! So, it's an all-out war, is it? "I was!" I focused my attention back on the ball.

This time, Arnold decided to try a different tactic by bowling a slow ball. I tipped it off my bat, sending it flying straight over Arnold's head.

"Whoa!" Arnold exclaimed as he instinctively ducked.

"Ha! Serves you right! Run, sir!" I shouted. I was already sprinting down the pitch. Station Officer Steele made it to the crease before Elvis had even managed to pick up the ball.

"Should we go again, Sam?" Station Officer Steele asked me.

"No. I think Arnold needs a bit of time to cool off. I'm happy to stay at this end for now."

"Couldn't take the heat, huh?" Arnold muttered as he walked past me.

I smirked again. "Just remember who got you out for a duck."

If looks could kill, I'd have been fried in an instant. At that moment, we all heard a car enter the side driveway behind us. Turning, I smiled when I saw that it was Helen and Mandy. The summer school holidays were almost over, so I wasn't at all surprised to see Mandy spending some time with her mum. They both got out, and they came over to us. I held up a hand.

"Just stay there for the moment, please," I advised. "We'll just finish this over, and then we can talk."

"Okay," Helen agreed, and she placed her hands on Mandy's shoulders to keep her back.

I leaned on my bat like a walking stick, while Station Officer Steele and Arnold got ready for the next ball. As Arnold made his run up, I took a few steps forward, in anticipation for a run.

Arnold's bowl was rather slow that time, but Station Officer Steele was able to hit it anyway. It bounced against the wall and headed for the middle of the pitch. In the confusion that followed, Station Officer Steele and I were able to make one run. I'd almost reached the crease, when Arnold threw the ball at the wicket I was running towards. I started running even faster, and I only just made it to the crease in time. There was a loud 'clang!' as the ball knocked the metal wickets over onto the tarmac.

"Safe!" Tom declared.

"Yay!" Mandy cheered. "Great run, Fireman Sam!"

"Drat it!" Arnold muttered as he collected the ball. Ellie reset the wicket.

Station Officer Steele chuckled. "Lucky Sam was too fast for you, Arnold!"

"I'll get him out next time," Arnold seethed.

I tapped my bat against the tarmac in front of the wicket, ready for the next ball. "So you keep saying, Arnold! I'm yet to see you do it though!"

Arnold pitched the next ball without even doing a run up. It came at me so fast, I wasn't sure I'd be able to hit it. I swung the bat anyway. The ball hit my bat so hard, I felt the vibration go right through my wrists.

"Ah!" I exclaimed, and I shook my left hand to try and stop the pins and needles.

"Are you okay, Sam?" Ellie asked with concern.

"Yeah. Where did the ball go?"

"It's on the roof!" Elvis replied in astonishment.

"What?" Seeing that everyone else was looking up, I looked up too.

"I think we'll call that a six," Tom decided. "New ball!"

"How will we get it down from there?" Penny wondered.

"Well, since Sam hit it up there, he'll have to go up and get it down," Arnold decided.

"Hey, I only managed to hit it up there because you got frustrated," I replied. "But, I'll go up there later. It's not going anywhere. Let's keep playing for now."

"The next ball will be the end of the over," Tom announced.

"Can I do a swap with Station Officer Steele, please, Tom?" I asked. "That last ball gave my hand pins and needles."

"You're not hurt, are you, Sam?" Penny asked anxiously.

"No, but I do need a bit of a rest from batting."

"Okay," Tom agreed. "But only if Station Officer Steele agrees."

"Of course!"

And so, Station Officer Steele and I swapped ends. With a new ball in hand, Arnold bowled the final ball for the over. Once again, it was very fast, and Station Officer Steele hit it high into the air. I watched as it flew towards the corner of the fire station.

CRASH!

I cringed when I heard the safety glass in the corner window on the top floor break. But the ball didn't stop there. It bounced off the safety glass and flew back down towards Helen's car.

CRASH!

"My car!" Helen exclaimed, shocked.

The cricket ball had completely shattered the front windscreen of Helen's car. We all ran over for a closer look.

"I'm sorry, Helen," Station Officer Steele apologised. "We'll phone Joe, and have that fixed straight away for you."

"Thank you, Station Officer Steele."

I removed my gloves and helmet before I took my mobile phone out of my pocket. Then, I dialled Joe's number. "Hello, Joe? It's Sam. Uh, would you be able to come to the fire station to repair Helen's car's windscreen, please? I'm afraid it just got smashed by a cricket ball."

"Of course, Sam! I'll be there shortly."

I hung up my phone. "Joe's on his way. And I think now would be a good time for me to get up on the roof…"

"That was so amazing!" Mandy exclaimed. "I can't believe you managed to hit that ball onto the roof, Fireman Sam!"

"What about Station Officer Steele?" Penny teased. "He managed to break two windows with just one ball!"

"And you won't hear of that happening in professional cricket!" I added with a laugh.

"Well, I'm glad to see that everyone's wearing protective equipment anyway," Helen added. "I had no idea a friendly cricket match could be so competitive."

"If you call that competitive, you should see us when we play tiddlywinks," I said with a small chuckle.

"I have. Actually, I've come here deliberately, because I need to inform you that you're all due for your annual medical exams and flu shots."

A collective groan arose from all of us. Helen had to laugh.

"Cheer up, everyone! It's not that bad."

"You're not the one on the receiving end," Tom muttered. He quickly clapped a hand over his mouth. "I said that aloud, didn't I?"

We all nodded.

"The volunteer firefighters will need to have their medicals done as well, so I'll do theirs with yours this year," Helen continued. "As you all know, the medicals are non-invasive, but I will need to do blood tests, so please ensure you all have plenty to drink from now on. And, since none of you like having your yearly medicals done, I've decided to make things a bit more interesting for you this year."

"What do you mean?" Station Officer Steele asked.

"You'll find out tomorrow, when I come back to carry out your examinations. From what I've just seen though, I don't believe any of you will fail."

"Well, that's a comfort, isn't it, Elvis?" Penny said.

"Not really," Elvis muttered in reply.

Helen smiled. "I think that's all I needed to tell you. Now, if you're all going to resume with your cricket match, I think I'll move my car."

"Around the front should be the safest place," Tom advised. "Nobody's been able to hit the ball over the roof yet!"

"Well, that is reassuring!" Helen said as she climbed back inside her car. "Come along, Mandy."

"Oh, but mum!" Mandy whined in protest. "I want to watch the rest of the game!"

"No way, Mandy! I don't want you anywhere near them, unless you're wearing your crash helmet."

I had to laugh at that. "Come on, everyone! Let's finish this game." I put my helmet back on. "What's the score now, Tom?"

"Hmm… I think we'll make that last one a four, so that means the senior team only needs another twenty-four runs from five overs to win."

"You're going to have to pull some more googlies to get Sam out," Ellie said to Arnold. "And even then, they've still got Penny to come in, and you know that she's just as competitive as Sam."

"Yes," Arnold mused dejectedly. "Maybe next time, we should choose the teams out of a hat, to make it fairer."

"Cheer up, young Arnold!" Station Officer Steele said. "Pretend this is like the Ashes!"

Tom rolled his eyes. "Uh, do we have to?"

We all laughed. It was a well-known fact that Australia had lost the last Ashes series, and Tom was rather sensitive about it.

We went back over to the pitch to resume our game. I manged to get fourteen more runs before Arnold bowled another fast ball. I managed to hit it, but I didn't bother running when I saw where it was heading – straight over the wall.

"Out!" Tom declared.

"Drat it!" I muttered.

"YES! Finally!" Arnold cheered. "I knew I'd eventually get you out, Sam! Whoo-hoo!"

"At least you didn't actually bowl or catch me out," I pointed out as I removed my helmet. "I did it to myself." I handed my bat over to Penny, while Elvis ran to go and fetch the ball. "We'll still win, Penny. You only need to get ten more runs, and that'll be the end of the game."

"Easy!" Penny grinned. "But only if Station Officer Steele doesn't get himself bowled out first."

"I heard that, Firefighter Morris!"

Now that I was out of the game, I headed inside the garage and over to the lockers to remove my cricket gear. As I was removing everything, I saw through the open garage doors that Joe had arrived, and he was repairing Helen's windscreen. Once I'd put my gear away inside my locker, I went over to Helen, Joe and Mandy.

"So, who won the game?" Helen asked.

"It's not over yet, but the senior team is winning."

"Is that your team?"

I nodded. "Since Station Officer Steele, Penny and I are considered 'senior officers', we form one team, while the others form the junior team."

"That makes sense."

"So, what's the little surprise you've got planned for us tomorrow?"

Helen smiled. "Nice try, Sam, but I'm not telling you anything."

"Well, it didn't hurt to try…" And I winked at Mandy.

"You'll just have to wait and find out tomorrow, along with everyone else," Helen told me firmly.

I crouched down to Mandy's height. "Do you know what it is, Mandy?"

"Yes, and I'm going to help set it up. Mum's invited the whole town to come and watch."

"Oh! So, this is something everyone can watch, is it?"

"Sam, don't you have something better to do?" Helen asked.

"No." And I winked at Mandy. A loud shout from the back of the fire station told me that the cricket game was now over. "Well, perhaps I should go and find out who won…"

Helen nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow."

No kidding! "Okay. Joe? Send the bill for the windscreen to Station Officer Steele. That's the rule. If you break a window, you pay for it."

I hurried away before either of them could protest. I found everyone else in the locker area, packing away the cricket gear. "Who won?"

"We did!" Penny exclaimed triumphantly. "Just a bit of advice though. Avoid Arnold. He's not taking the lose well."

I laughed. "Don't worry. As long as we remain on separate teams, we'll be rivals. It's good for both of us to have some friendly competition."

"Just as long as you don't overdo it," Penny warned.

"Perhaps we should get Ben involved next time, and then Tom could join in as well?" Ellie suggested.

"Oh! We could have a proper cricket match in the park!" Elvis added eagerly.

"That's not such a bad idea, Criddlington," Station Officer Steele agreed. "I'll see if I can arrange it. Now, who's on night duty tonight?"

Ellie and Elvis held up their hands.

"Okay. The rest of you can sign out and go home. Make sure you're back here at nine o'clock sharp tomorrow morning for your medicals."

"Yes, sir," we replied in unison.

I whistled loudly. Seconds later, Radar came racing into the garage, and he all but leapt into my arms. "Whoa, boy! Calm down! Let's go home, so I can get your dinner."