This week’s new addition was a Nerf whistler, which brought about an energetic warm up and got the competitive juices flowing.

With the toss lost, Angus and Sean opened up and continued where they had left off last week, setting a stable but aggressive tone as they brought up 50 in the 10th over. Angus had clearly listened to the coaching clinic offered by Alleyn last week, an impeccably correct and high front elbow on show as he drove through the covers and clipped through the leg side. This was however interjected by the occasional inside edge to fine leg as that high front elbow dropped and the bottom hand came in (or something like that, the author is not a batting coach).

Sean then took a liking to Saad Salem, the first of Dulwich’s spin options, alternating between going over the top and shovelling behind square on the leg side.

From the other end, Jaffer Kazmi came into the attack and immediately applied pressure with some lovely off-spin from a high release point bringing turn and bounce into the right-handers. Sean and Angus were able to keep him out, and due to the strong platform they had built were able to play out some quieter overs. However, Sean then began to find his range and plonked him into the trees.

This accelerated the Plough openers to a 100 opening stand in the 20th over, with Sean reaching 50 later in the over as boundaries flowed.

Angus was the first to fall, trying to swipe the ball in an uncharacteristically ugly manner as he was bowled for 41 off 53.

Sean followed moments later, spooning the ball to cover for 63 from 72 and having to drag himself from the field as he berated his selection of shot.

This brought Leo Connelly and Max McCreery to the crease, but Max fell moments later as he left a ball from Jaffer which crashed into off stump. Duray came to the crease and he and Connelly knocked the ball around to rebuild the Plough innings. They put on 30 for the 4th wicket before Duray’s patience faded and he was caught at cow corner for 14 off Dulwich’s third spin option, Mukherjee.

Harry Edmonds had all of one ball to get his eye in, depositing his second over long on for six to begin a counter-attack. His second six followed moments later, before he was caught for 18 off 14.

Dom came in at no.7 and continued the aggressive counter-attack, a flurry of boundaries coming as the two left-handers took the Plough score past 200 in the 40th over.

However, Dom’s innings was brought to a premature end as he was run out for 22 off 14, for which Connelly took the blame. Spencer was only able to find the fence once before he fell for 5, and Connelly and Azza saw out the Plough innings with 232 amassed from 45 overs, Leo ending up 39 not out.

After some beige had been consumed, CRS and Spencer started in excellent fashion. CRS bowled Damley-Jones for a second-ball duck despite shaping up beautifully. Spence was unlucky to come away wicketless, but conceded just 22 from his 6 overs. CRS was economical as ever as he returned figures of 7-3-24-1.

The other Dulwich opener, Ramzan, looked great for his 36 before he was caught at gully by Duray off Azza, ending the 59-run partnership Dulwich had put on for the second wicket. Azza then took the Plough’s third wicket in the same over, removing the other set batsman as the Dulwich no.3 was caught behind for 25 off 42. Despite these classy-looking knocks, the required rate was climbing.

Duray brought himself on for a brief two-over stint, conceding just five runs before bringing Lonnen into the attack. The main event from Duray’s first spell was an excitable appeal in which he forgot how to remain standing, ending up in a heap on the floor in the middle of the pitch. Lonnen was straight into his work, peppering a good length to constrain Dulwich to 77-3 at drinks.

Azza bowled just one more over after the drinks break, finished with figures of 6-1-22-2.

This brought Dom into the attack as the 6th bowler, and for the second week in a row he took a wicket with his first ball. The threatening no.4 could only push the ball straight into the hands of Harry Edmonds at cover for a run-a-ball 21.

The Dulwich no.7 remained the last glimmer of hope, depositing Dom for six on two occasions after placing the Dulwich skipper firmly on the BBQ for the first of the aforementioned run outs. In pursuit of the leg side boundary he was however unable to bring the required rate down, as Dulwich reached the 35-over mark still requiring 100 to win and only three wickets in hand.

Dom and Lonnen continued the squeeze, with some Connelly-type running between the wickets handing the Plough two wickets as the required rate continued to climb. Lonnen was finally rewarded for his efforts, with two quick wickets both caught in the off side as he returned figures of 9-0-40-2. Duray brought himself back into the attack.

The Dulwich no.7 remained the last glimmer of hope, depositing Dom for six on two occasions after placing the Dulwich skipper firmly on the BBQ for the first of the aforementioned run outs. In pursuit of the leg side boundary he was however unable to bring the required rate down, as Dulwich reached the 35-over mark still requiring 100 to win and only three wickets in hand.

Lonnen finished his spell with figures of 9-0-40-2, with Duray selflessly bringing himself back to bowl at the tail having seen the spin on offer for Dom. In his returning over Duray took the Plough’s 9th wicket with an unbelievable one-handed diving catch off his own bowling. An early contender for catch of the season, threatening Barron’s two diving stunners against Wimbledon.

After a series of half-chances, edges to third man, and a couple of drops, the Plough finally took the 10th wicket as Dom had the bludgeoning no.7 stumped for his second. He returned figures of 8-0-36-2.

With Dulwich bowled out in for 152, the Plough won by 80 runs and were promoted to second in the points table behind the Sinjungrammarians (the only other side to have played four games).

Go well, and Plough On…

Match report from Dominic Scott