A busy build up for the Captain as the comings & goings in the XI gave him plenty of work. Nevertheless, LB had in recent years acknowledged the Pacific veteran challenge & even match had always enschewed. In 2009 Locks Bottom had become a League Club & this game was a window in their schedule. They even knew from this site that it was 11 years since a home win. They wanted to win & with a smattering of new faces, it showed & the visitors could not up their game.
A good time to re-evaluate could have been taken when the North London visitors found themselves slipping from 28-0 to 48-5 & with the best pitch at Tugmutton in years not to blame, the Kentish hosts took their foot of the pedal & Pacific built a total but one 30-50 runs short.
Without Steve Lay & Naveej Vinod it could have been considerably worse.
It was agreed that to be competitive, Pacific had to feild well & take their chances & with Chris Atkin bowling High first ball of the innings, the side were lifted. Chris, Club Captain, a match winner, could be the man again. The other opener Collens had other ideas & his 88 not out was truly the match winning total as he made the most of Pacific's only drop when he edged high to slip early on.
Rob Bastin tried all optikons available to him even giving Chris Atkin his first spell at keeping so Rob could bowl, but the days when the game was won by a truly incisive spell of bowling & a sub par total was defended had gone when the Baglivis withdrew.
