Locksbottom at Tugmutton is surely one of the more evocative club/ground name combinations in the Pacific calendar. Tugmutton, so called because of the common’s alleged resemblance to a leg of lamb, was a renowned winter base for the travelling communities of Kent during the 19th century. On Saturday, chasing a Locksbottom 198, like the peripatetic travellers of old, too many Pacific batsmen would only find a temporary residence at the crease.

All had seemed possible in the opening passages of play when Howes and McGinnigle were operating in tandem with the new ball. Locksbottom openers King and Kirkwood were repeatedly beaten for pace, by swing, craft and the inconsistencies of an early May strip by a PCC pair at the peak of their powers.

It was no surprise when Howes deposed King in the seventh over and disposed of Kirkwood in the 11th, courtesy of a stunning one-handed catch by Rizwan Siddiqui at slip. Plucking a fast-moving ball out of the air with apparent nonchalance, he celebrated with a semblance of the Cantona, striking a pose of chest-puffing pride as he soaked up his teammates’ acclaim. In a moment of true sportsmanship, his victim was one of the first to congratulate him. Locksbottom were 32 for 2 off 11.

Jithin was afforded the opportunity of first change on debut and rose to the occasion with a wicket in his first Pacific over, his Martin McCague-like seam action accounting for the dangerous-looking Patel.

Verma was then joined at the crease by the veteran Sawyer in a partnership that would change the course of the afternoon. The pair started watchfully against the guile of the Guilford Twirler Hussain, who bowled a lovely five-over spell, lulling Pacific into a false sense of security. And Sumant, whose promising three-over spell for 8 was curtailed by muscular tightness.

In the last ten they countered masterfully, despite a spirited fielding effort epitomised by the efforts of John Deighan, Mark Mehta and keeper Murtaza Siddiqui. The highlight was a flicked six through midwicket by Sawyer. Shaz, referred to simply as F by a Locksbottom scorer as if he were a Bond character, enjoyed a quantum of solace by cleaning up Sawyer with an in-ducker. But the damage was done and there was a scintilla of anxiety in the PCC camp at tea as they ate M&S sandwiches or last night’s takeaway and reflected on the task ahead.

Their worst fears were realised as left-arm Lathar and canny curly-haired veteran seamer Terry Edwards demolished our top order with a display of metronomic accuracy. It was testament to their control, and our perilous position of 26 for 5, that opener Mehta had only scored three off his first 30-odd balls. His 39 was the highlight of the Pacific innings. A watertight defence in testing conditions later transformed into expansive elegance as he was joined by captain Murtaza (30) in an enterprising partnership of 61. Siddiqui played some pugnacious lofted straight drives as the pair took responsibility for the Pacific fightback.

But after they and last hope Rizwan were each bowled by the colourfully named young legspinner with a distinctly high bowling arm Harry Stachini (and Trevatt) our die was cast. There was to be some comic relief for a raucous bunch of Pacificians on the boundary as Howes (14) and, in particular, last man Jack Ahmed Hussain (4*) showed an unexpected resilience in delaying the inevitable. In a moment of quieter reflection our captain was philosophical in defeat, quite literally, as the doyen of TikTok mused on the richness of sport by quoting Plato: “You can learn more about a person in an hour of play than a year of conversation.”