As I sit here watching yet more precipitation, I realise it is an ample opportunity to squeeze in more sports journalistic clichés such as “basement club”.

The First XI arrived at Chaldon CMO CC wondering if their hosts would show up before the start of play (they showed up at 1pm last time, forfeiting the toss) and expecting to take 20 points home with them. It was necessary for the team to put pressure on themselves to beat sides like Chaldon, who are struggling at the bottom of the table.

Sam won the toss and put the hosts in to bat. Chaldon got off to a flying start, despite the awful cabbage-patch pitch and thanks to some clean hitting. That was curtailed in the 9th over, with the score 53/0, due to a drizzly shower.

When the teams returned – four overs having been lost from the match - it wasn’t too long before Mark Fenton had the breakthrough, followed by veteran Woo Powell bowling out the useful Arshad for 52.

Luke Bentley - making his second appearance of the season – hit his legendary rhythm straight away. You don’t lose it! He made light work of Faiyaz, trapping him LBW, before Woo did the same soon after to Gulzar reduce Chaldon to 103/4.

The run rate slowed down from the rapid start, with occasional fours or sixes but not a lot in between. Woo continued with his back-breaking spell, eventually doing for Khan and Jaffer to finish with figures of 13-4-43-4.

At 144/6, Vandals targeted 160 all out but the game became more and more disjointed, with the ball regularly having to be retrieved from the long grass (the cricket oval appears to be the mown section of the common) with little help from the hosts. Chaldon’s modus turned to chewing up as many overs as possible.

Mark (3/52) Fenton dealt with Mazhar - thanks to some genius field placement – plus the charming Saukat, who, despite hearing voices and forgetting to feed the ducks that morning, managed to churn out the most turgid 30 you’re likely to see. In between those wickets Oscar Powell (1/27) had Ali caught well by Amandeep Singh at mid off. 164/6 had become 172/9. It took Scott Baker only five balls to rearrange the furniture and Chaldon were all out for 183.

In reply, Vandals knew they had to be positive in everything with their batting. Dan Fenton knows what that means and he got straight into his work, launching slow slow bowler Mazhar for 6 in the first over. Sam (12) was in a similar mood, striking three fours before hitting to mid on. Connor Baker came in, looking really rather tired but looked in form right away. He and Dan ran brilliantly together, as we have come to expect. Dan (31 off 27) was caught having played a thrilling innings and the score was 63/2. Amandeep joined Connor and they continued along the path, before Baker (38) was dealt a rough hand with a grubber. Seb Hall (5) steadied with Singh but couldn’t see us home like the week before, being caught and the score was 98/4.

Seb H replaced Seb H and took us up to 114 before he was bowled. Vandals still required 70 runs and there were some nerves in the pavilion.

We should never have been nervous though, because in Luke Bentley we have a man perfectly suited to the situation. He came in and immediately increased the scoring rate, playing an entertaining hand with Singh, who himself was more reserved but unleashed the Amandeep classics – straight drives, cover drives and sweeps – plus a sumptuous flick off his legs for four to fine leg.

Batting seemed to get easier for the pair, with Luke (41*) catching up with Aman and the scores level before Aman knelt down and clobbered Jaffer into the trees to finish 47 not out, and the match. An unbroken stand of 75 made it look easy, but in truth the batsmen did well to see out the good spells of bowling and take advantage of the rubbish.

We expected to take the 20 points and we did. Perhaps we could have been tidier in the field but we will all be happy with the result and to be building up some momentum ahead of the visit of second-placed Battersea Ironsides, who are only forty points ahead…

…And that match was rained off on Saturday. On to Lingfield on 7th August.

Worth a mention is the all-run four between (I think) Connor and Aman. We love to see it.