There was a sense of anticipation in the air ahead of welcoming Highgate to Wray Crescent. Hot off a three game winning streak, and five games unbeaten, Pacific fans were starting to ask themselves “have we ever had it so good?” (The answer, incidentally, is “yes” but not since the last Olympic year of 2012.) The excitement was fuelled further by the unveiling of the latest recruits from the Pacific scouting machine, with Clayton and Knox on debut. Even the old chap doing laps of the outfield appeared to have an extra bounce in his step as the players emerged from the (in)famous Wray Pavilion.

Batting first, Clayton and Collis strode out to get proceedings under way. Clayton showed early promise with some fine shot making, but his innings was brought to an end by a startling catch at midwicket. The catch was all the more startling since it was taken by fellow debutant Knox, filling in as a substitute fielder. This brought Chasseaud to the crease for what became an innings defining 150 run partnership with Collis. After a gritty start, Collis gradually discovered his mojo, combining increasingly crisp stroke play with determined defence. Collis’ career best tally of 83 was certainly a highlight of the day in the view of this commentator. Meanwhile, Chasseaud showed typical grace and ease to accelerate through the gears, reaching his fourth consecutive 50 in the process. Joined by the big hitting Chowdhury, the late innings became a brutal onslaught of boundaries, with Chasseaud bringing up a stylish ton amid the carnage. Pacific finished on an imposing 293 for 2.

After a delightful tea, combining the Islington staple of humus with a selection of family favourites, the players took to the field for the Highgate innings. What then followed was surely one of the finest fielding performances ever seen at the Wray. Not a single chance went begging, with a succession of catch after catch, each more splendid than the last, sending the watching crowds into a wild fever. In fact, it was so wild that the cheers could easily have been mistaken for a pair of breeding dogs, yelping in glee from the boundary edge. Chowdhury and Smith picked up two wickets apiece in their opening spells, producing catches from Knox (x2), Clayton and Mullens. The introduction of Hussain then brought two moments of pure cricketing delight. The first was a spinner's dream, bowling the batsman round his legs with rasping turn. The second was perhaps even more splendid, finding the edge and producing a low, diving, one-handed catch from Clayton. There was still time for more fine work with the combo of “bowled Mullens, caught Chowdhury” taking out the lower middle order resistance, and a final wicket for Hussain to finish proceedings with Highgate all out for 145. So a splendid all-round team performance ensured Pacific’s fine run continues to four wins on the spin, and fans will be turning to the archives once more to assess the early season achievements against the history books.

With thanks to Phil for uploading the scorecard.

Toby hit a total of 110 off 70 balls. He went from 0 to 52 off 49 balls, and from 52 to 102 off a further 18 balls. Then came a dot, a four and a four.