Things are already kicking off with Benny turning up with a pencil case that has an in built calculator in it. This thing is bright blue. Our instant reaction is, ‘Why?’. Sean turns up with a phone that has more cracks on it than some of the council pitches we played at last summer.

Laughs aside, we slowly make a move. At the ground, CRS has won the toss and we are batting first. In the changing room Benny gets his pencil case out looking all excited for scoring, only to realise that Aman has forgotten the score book. He looks like a kid who’s dreams have been shattered. Moving on, Sean and Umar open up with a steady start. Sean playing some exquisite drives, and Umar still in his Chiteshwar Pujara element from the week before, blocking and defending with the utmost patience. As expected, their opening bowlers are sensational. Sean falls to a ball that stays in the pitch. Next man in is Angus, the same geezer who decided to pull their first class Pakistani cricketer off the front foot. However, unlike the G this pitch does not have a lot to offer to batsmen and Angus and Dom Scott get out cheaply.

Umar is still going strong at one end. Enter Steve, who for no good reason decides to take a stroll after the delivery, and gets run out. We all feel for him. Sinjun’s first and second change to no one’s surprise are also decent bowlers with one hitting the length and the other bowling fast offies. Umar after his long vigil, falls just short of his fifty and edges to the wicket keeper. At the crease is now Aman and Barron.

Barron decides he has had enough and turns to bazzball, dismissing anything in his arc. At the other end, Aman is taking the safer option and dealing in singles.They stabilise the innings before Aman lobs one in the air off their opening quick. How good is it to have a tail by the names of Benny, CRS and Azhar! They score some useful runs making sure we play the full quota of overs. Shout out to Barron and Umar, we finish at 177.

We head back out with Dom and CRS opening the bowling. Both bowl beautifully, taking two wickets each. Sinjuns are off to a rocky start. Sean takes a stunner at slips off CRS, dismissing their opener. Azhar at first change bowls absolute rockets, edging probably their best batsmen with Benny at somewhat flying slip taking an absolute screamer moving to his right. At the other end, Aman is bowling a heavy length and takes two wickets in quick succession. If Sinjuns thought now is a time for a breather, things are about to get worse because to wrap up things they see none other than James Barron warming up. He manages to knick of their number nine. The knick is so loud, even Vicki from Chennai is appealing, but to our disgust the batsmen refuses to walk. The umpire gives a strong nod asking the batsmen to leave, which he does with his head low. At this point Sinjuns are in a spot of bother at 93 for 9. Barron takes exactly 13 deliveries to finish things off with a clean bowled!

After a warm day of cricket you’d expect a cold shower, at what from early anticipation seemed like a decent clubhouse. We head to showers, quickly realising that the water may well be coming straight from the bowels of mount Vesuvius. At the bathing area, the amount of steam coming out is a little nerve wrecking. We plough through.

We leave the ground with some Plough heading for a curry at a place that promises to sell ‘Exquisite Indian Cuisine’. I have reservations about the claim so I join the other Plough for a more plausible plan which includes a beer, or two, or eight.

Match report from Aman Jain