When I first heard that I'd been selected to play Actonians away, I couldn't help but start to relive memories of the same fixture last season - Umar and Britto dismantling a prepubescent bowling attack to put on 120-odd for the first wicket, the luxury of a clubhouse with a balcony to watch the action unfold, and a comprehensive victory for the Plough. I couldn't wait for Sunday to come around. On Friday, however, any dreams of a repeat of the previous year were dashed by a flurry of WhatsApp messages informing the team that Actonians had doubled booked their first choice of pitch, and then further dashed on Saturday morning when we learnt that their alternative pitch was unlikely to be ready in time, and that they were canceling the game.

All was not lost, however. Unbeknownst to the dejected Plough XI (who had now started to make plans for a cricket-free Sunday), Fixture Secretary Extraordinaire, Leon Parks, had dipped into his little black book and begun the search for a new opposition. Within hours, he had found a fixture for us in deepest-darkest Kent - an offer which Skipper AJ Prasad politely declined on the grounds that "it was basically in France". Never mind, back to the drawing board for Leon. By Saturday evening, Leon had not only managed to book a spare pitch at the DSG, but had found two (yes, two) potential opposition teams. By the time I went to bed on Saturday evening all was well - the London Red Ball CC had accepted Leon's offer and were preparing to make the journey from Harrow to Dulwich for their inaugural game against the Plough.

For the avoidance of doubt, or in case I hadn't yet made it clear enough, huge thanks must go to Leon for his herculean efforts in sorting a replacement pitch and fixture(s), and also to LRBCC for scrambling a team - all in less than 24 hours!

Anyway, to the cricket. LRBCC won the toss and put themselves into bat. Sawyer and Stevens took the new ball and got to work. An LRBCC opener drove the third ball of the innings straight down the throat of Rehan at mid-off to give Sawyer his first wicket, leaving the visitors 0-1. This prompted a more cautious approach from the incoming batsman and the remaining opener, who both struggled to score freely.

After 8 overs without a further wicket, and with the LRBCC batsmen slowly becoming accustomed to the two opening bowlers (and with no less than 5 off-spinners to choose from), Skipper AJ tossed the ball to the ever reliable Nigel Stephenson and Niraj Tailor. Both bowled tight lines, and, with the help of some excellent fielding, managed to frustrate the batsmen and keep the run-rate down. When drinks were taken after 17 overs LRBCC had just 79 runs on the board.

After drinks the batsmen started to accelerate, making good use of a fast outfield and short boundaries. They achieved this predominantly, it must be said, by sending the ball in the direction of Cow Corner, with seemingly no regard for how far from outside the off-stump this meant they had to fetch it. With the batsmen batting less cautiously, it didn't take long for Tailor to strike; first, by trapping the remaining opener LBW, and then, a few balls later, with the dismissal of the incoming batsman. The introduction of Kerr to the attack brought two more wickets, plenty of no balls, and a brief but heated exchange over whether a catch taken by Sean McGurn at point had carried or not (ultimately leading to the opposition umpire calling the walking batsman back onto the field, much to the frustration of the Ploughmen). Galvanised by this perceived injustice, the Plough knuckled down and went hard for the final few overs. Rehan came into the attack and quickly took a wicket. At the other end, the reintroduction of Sawyer saw him rewarded with his second.

After 35 overs, LRBCC left the field having set Ploughmans 238 to win.

With tea taken, openers Cosgrove and McGurn strode out to the middle. The LRBCC opening bowlers started well and managed to keep both batsmen from scoring at the required rate. The opening pair made 47 from the first ten overs before Cosgrove fell for 6. McGurn continued to score steadily before being caught for 35 in the 19th over, the scoreboard reading 70-2. This, unfortunately, precipitated a minor collapse, which saw four Ploughmen struggle to reach double figures before losing their wicket. After 27 overs, the Plough were 93-6 and needed a further 145 runs, at a rate of 18 an over.

Enter AJ Prasad. While I was backing up at the non-striker's end, AJ carved the first ball of the next over back over my head. Four runs. Next ball, same shot again - this time two runs. And so he went on: effortlessly clipping the ball over midwicket, majestically driving it back past the bowler, always pushing hard for the third run, and just generally making batting look incredibly easy. Unphased by the increasingly unachievable target, the runs continued to flow. After a few overs of clinical big-hitting, and just as I was beginning to feel like the Jack Leach to AJ's Ben Stokes, cheers erupted from the boundary. "What are they doing that for? Surely that's not my 50?.... It is!? I've never got one of those before'' remarked a bewildered but grinning AJ, who duly raised his bat to acknowledge the milestone. A few overs later and the 35 overs were up - AJ carried his bat to 61 from 40 balls, in what I'm sure will be the first big innings of many. The Plough left the field on 169-6, 70 runs short.

As always, the tired Ploughmen quickly retired to the bar for some well earned beers and to soak up the last of the evening sun. A tough but enjoyable day for all involved! Plough on!

Match report produced by Harvey Stevens