It was a slow start at Streatham & Marlborough CC. The club has just opened their brand-new clubhouse, which looked very smart indeed, and a photographer/videographer were there to capture content for the grand unveiling.

I arrived at 12:30 sharp to find Olly Lonsdale and Tom Winter already suited in their whites. I initially thought this was a bit keen, but they soon explained they had been recruited for some promotional filming in the changing rooms. Before anyone gets too excited, there was nothing involving the showers; it wasn’t that kind of production. Still, they did manage to get the Plough badge on camera.

The opposition were clearly keen to make the most of the occasion and wanted all the bells and whistles on display. There was an electronic scoreboard which eventually sprang into life during the second innings, and a large display screen which spent the entire afternoon showing a colourful arrangement of pixelated squares. Combined with the absence of their injured wicketkeeper, who was also supposed to be bringing another player, delays mounted before a ball had even been bowled.

During this pre-match faffing, Olly felt it was important to inform the assembled group that there will be a solar eclipse on 12 August, with almost 90% of the sun covered by the moon. As this seemed to be the most useful piece of information shared all afternoon, this and the fact that Jason Stathem is said to live in the house immediately next door to the club, I thought it only fair to pass it on to the readers of this report as well.

Plough won the toss and elected to bat first, with Suri and Ean opening the innings. While there were a few nervous moments and some close calls between the wickets, the pair got us off to a solid start. Ean was the first to depart, bringing Lonsdale to the crease.

Olly and Suri put together an excellent partnership worth 53 runs before Olly was bowled for 18. A special mention should also go to Ihtesham, Harry, Ean and Bisi, who came on as substitute fielders for the opposition.

Midway through, another opposition player finally arrived. It transpired that he was just six weeks out from bicep reattachment surgery and had been instructed not to play any sport for six months. Naturally, the very next over he took a catch to dismiss Suri, who had played superbly for his 60 from just 52 deliveries.

Further useful contributions came from Leon, Aislynn and George, all reaching double figures. Up until this stage the wicket had played reasonably well, but it soon became apparent that one end of the square contained a mysterious dead zone where the ball simply refused to bounce. George and Aislynn were particularly unfortunate victims of this with a pair of absolute pea rollers. By the 31st over, Plough had slipped to 172-7 and there were concerns that the 200-run mark might remain out of reach.

Next to the crease came Harry. Thankfully, two years of net practice had finally started to bear fruit, going on to make a career-best 21. Some may argue that this isn't a particularly notable score, but seeing as I'm writing the report, I'm choosing to celebrate my achievement regardless. Unfortunately, this was eventually brought to an end by yet another one of those dreaded pea rollers.

Tom and Bisi then saw out the closing stages of the innings, helping the Plough reach a competitive 217 for 9 from their 40 overs.

Everyone should make a note to make themselves available for this fixture next season as the teas were an absolute delight – chicken drumsticks, potatoes wedges, spring rolls, samosas, garlic bread, fresh fruit and cake. It was only the prospect of 40 overs in the field under a baking sun that stopped most of us from going back for a third and fourth helping.

The Plough came onto the field for the second innings with good energy. Damon Greeney opened the bowling and was immediately on the money, serving up his usual stuff. His efforts were rewarded with a wicket in the very first over, giving the Plough exactly the start they were after. At the other end, Bisi was equally good. Unfortunately, while chasing a ball towards the boundary in the second over, Tom suddenly pulled up clutching his hamstring. His day was over, leaving the Plough with only ten players.

While Damon would finish with just the one wicket, the relentless pressure he created allowed Bisi to capitalise at the other end. Bisi claimed three wickets in an excellent spell. The first was a sharp caught-and-bowled, the second came courtesy of a superb catch from Aislynn at mid-off, who held on despite splitting her finger in the process and needing some patch-up work afterwards. The third wicket removed the opener who was cruising well towards a half-century. Having looked well set, he sent one high towards the boundary where Olly safely completed the catch to send him on his way.

Ihtesham came on next and immediately started firing them in at the new batters, giving them precious little time to settle at the crease. Harry was introduced at the other end and clean bowled the batter with his first ball – shock! The next man in was a left-hander and, as expected, normal service for Harry was quickly resumed. A six disappeared over the boundary, followed by a four and then a no-ball for good measure. Then came a final moment of inspiration, with Harry rolling his fingers for the slower ball, which went right past the batsman and into the stumps.

Getting into the lower order, Ihtesham continued to make it difficult. One batter in particular could barely run and required a runner, yet remained stubbornly attached to his wicket, eventually being dismissed at the end for 0 off 31 balls. Ihtesham claimed the seventh wicket in his eighth and final over, a reward that was thoroughly deserved. By now the sun was beginning to drop and the innings starting to drag. George Tunnacliffe was brought into the attack to keep the over rate moving and help prise out the remaining wickets. The eighth wicket soon followed, courtesy of yet another excellent catch from Aislynn. This brought to the crease the opposition's substitute player fresh from surgery, whose arrival was reminiscent of Chris Woakes hobbling out to bat at The Oval. The only difference was that this chap actually faced a ball and promptly hit it for four. In the 29th over, which would turn out to be the last, Ean produced a heroic diving stop in the field, only to face-plant the turf in the process and split open his eyebrow. Two balls later Harry trapped the final batter LBW. Plough bowled them all out for 144, taking the win with only nine players remaining. Jugs were poured and drank in celebration!

Match report from Harry Payne