What a beautiful morning that was. Beautiful green at the Griffin (it’s a commercial place before the hosepipe ban brigade starts moaning).

I joined the fellas a little late as I had been busy in the morning, arriving at 12:10, to see everyone diligently getting set up for the game. People are moving screens, others are rolling out the ropes (don’t get Liam or anyone else from the team started on which way, it became a thing).

Liam Gray has stepped in to skipper on behalf of Nibs as he’s enjoying a weekend doing dubious things at his best friend’s wedding. Nibs has led this team so well all year that we arrive at the match top of the table.

The oppo arrive and look fairly unsure of whether they're in the right place. Liam walks over to a bloke and asks if he’s the captain, he is not, but he points out an older fella. It makes sense, there are a couple of old boys, a couple of early 20s, and a whole lot of teens. Good for them I think, get them playing cricket early.

Liam being the fantastic tosser he is (deadly with a ball or a coin in his hand) wins the toss as usual. “We’ve won the toss and we’re batting” he loudly announces as he walks back to us, no one cheers, there's just a muted “okay, cool”.

As I’m padding up to bat at 3, I hear about the previous game vs Beddington, someone says we trounced them and recalls the wickets (I’ll let you guess who). Suri and Britto walk out to bat with Britto taking 1. Both start off looking imperious, Britto playing one of those signature “over the covers” shots for 4 and Suri putting anything on middle or leg through the leg side.

Before long though, Suri has barbequed Britto, it was NEVER a run, he’s had a moment of hit and run, entirely out of the blue, just as I start to settle down and listen to Benjamin about the willows he’s planted. Britto, to his credit, took this fairly well and walked off.

I join Suri and he’s fairly upset with himself. I ask him if he can do anything to change the result now, no? Okay, let’s score some runs. Did he ever? In the 26 balls I faced (and however many Suri did) all I said to Suri was to play his shots and not get forced into playing a bad shot. He took this into his head and scored a brilliant 98… finally playing an awful shot to miss out on his hundred. Once again, a club stalwart taking their dismissal and missing out on a milestone in good spirit - though Liam was sure to remind him about avoidance.

Apparently Liam and Suri had a chat in the week, or prior to the game and Liam gave Suri a brilliant pep talk “go out and score some runs”. Take note Nibs.
The rest of the innings passed fairly innocuously, with myself, Barnard, and Grant (Marz) getting into the teens/early 20s, but no one really kicking on.

A couple of things to highlight, as always, there was some awful chat in the field, leading the boys to discuss how “awful” the “mind games” chat is when a bowler pulls out of the run up.

While umpiring, one of the oppo told me we were going to destroy them (this fella had arrived late and fielded in a leather cap). Another appealed (alone) from mid-wicket and was disappointed I didn’t give it.

Finally the 2 players with the awful chat - one was the guy (kid) who got me out, and the other, and their number 3 who spent a majority of the time in the field with awful chat, or telling fielders where to go, only for the skipper to tell him to shut up.

Britto and I took note of the chat, said nothing more, and continued to watch Suri dispatch them to all parts of the ground.

While a lot can be said about the batting, I won’t, but it's obvious to see that the Plough as a whole needs to get better at surviving batting collapses.

Something something something Plough collapses...

Tea is a delicious, if slightly dry affair, with some delicious Malaysian chicken (or chickpeas) in pitta, no sauce, but the crisps and everything else was excellent as you would expect at the Griffin.

While we’re eating, Giordy is out marking his run-up. It's a great sight, some of the other bowlers then head out to roll their arms over, no fielding prep needed apparently.

As has become the case in the 2s, or really any match either is playing, Giordy and Damon pick up early wickets, both clean bowled, with Damon’s wicket sounding like it was sheer perfection based on the howls from the cordon and Suri.

Their number 3 came into a number of “he talked all the talk, lets see if he can do it” surprisingly he almost did, scoring a streaky 25. Agendas struck again at the other end with Edmunds (how good is it to have this bloke back?) taking a stunning catch at gully, and you can almost see the fight leave an already fracturing Beddington team.

In walks number 5 and the other bloke who had a lot to say in the field, they’re both together and Britto and I are chirping back after almost every play and miss, aptly helped by some of the other Plough until the Earl has to tell us to chill out.

They’re playing and missing inching along and really struggling to score anything out here, and we occasionally let them know until Damon clean bowls the kid and the number 3 finds Liam’s hands via another rocket from Greeney.

The huddle is all “let’s finish this properly” “let’s not get carried away” and other classics like “boots on necks” with the Earl telling us to stay focussed.

Just as the number 6 starts to look comfortable, he thinks taking a single to yours truly is a good idea and finds it was not, with the throw over the stumps and Suri doing what he does best. After that it was all just regulation, with controlled Plough aggression, with Marz picking up 2 wickets, both bowled (including one of their old boys who looked ready to settle in and make us field the 40 overs).

The Earl contributed by having one of their lads caught behind by Suri and finally finishing it off with an annoying loopy catch to me at cover where I landed on my arse from running sideways and shuffling backwards.

Game over.

Suri had a day out.
Giordy had a day out.
Damon had a day out.
Liam was brilliant all day.

Apologies again for how late this is. Plough On!

Match report from Umar Iqbal