Pacific hit their all-time highest 40 over score in a one-sided encounter at Shepherd's Cot. It was a game in which we scored twice as many unbeaten centuries as the opposition took wickets. 

BOC continued his rich vein of form, retiring not out upon reaching his hundred off 82 balls. Faisal brought up his maiden ton with a six off only one more ball (83), having hit exactly the same number of fours (15) and sixes (3) as his fellow centurion. Nair played a short lived but explosive innings for his 10 before being unlucky enough to slice a forehand smash directly skywards. With the pressure off and the bowling benign, Burnham and Poil punished their fellow North Londoners taking the PCC total to a imposing 373 (Burnham losing several balls into the tennis courts in the process, leading Captain Siddiqui to press O'Connor and Zehri into action as a reluctant search party). At one point, so frustrated became Highgate's troglodytic opening bowler that when Burnham and Alam took a quick second following an overthrow, he suggested that the PCC were a "bunch of c*nts" - an uncouth outburst which was quickly nipped in the bud by umpire Siddiqui. 

While PCC's magnificent achievements with the bat should not be sniffed at, it would be remiss not to acknowledge that Highgate fielded a depleted version of their friendly Sunday team, comprising sexagenarians, septuagenerians, possibly octogenerians, the infirm, children, and one of the children's mums. Still, they all count.  

With so many runs on the board, Highgate never looked likely to challenge. Veteran Fletcher showed his class by blocking it out for 38 overs, top scoring with 40 odd from something like 120 balls. His batting partners on the day, as they surely have over a long career, came and went without fanfare. Ringer Mohammed was the pick of the Pacific bowlers, the Totteridge and sometime first class cricketer clinching his 5-fer by bowling aforesaid child's mum first ball (also removing the batsman from Highgate's proper First XI for a duck). In truth, the game was not one for the neutral. Highgate's innings limped on rather pointlessly for 40 overs before expiring in a damp squib. 

That said, at the end of a long summer of record breaking heat it was nice to be on the right side of a one-sided game. It was not ever thus. Our generous hosts - assuming that we're lucky enough to retain the fixture next year - will surely come back stronger.