A rare trip for The Willows to the far end of an obscure lane somewhere near Halswell and the famous pocket handkerchief ground beside a herd of curious alpacas. The cicadas strummed, the leaves rustled in the summer breeze, the sun shone. Valley of Peace won the toss and batted and the runs came readily once the shadow of the giant walnut tree had left the pitch.

Almost everyone bowled and almost everyone got carted for 4s and 2s, which are the Valley’s version of 6s and 4s. Many a ball-fetching visit was paid to the paddock of alpacas whose curiosity waned in the heat and who eventually lay down to snooze. Lunch was excellent and the bar was open all day.

Opening for The Willows, Matt Henderson and Geoff Barclay woke the alpacas by heavy bombardment. Barclay was particularly savage. But once both men had contrived to get themselves stumped by just over half a pitch, matters settled down. Then J Kerrison bowled a spell of remarkably slow off-breaks, or perhaps leg breaks, or maybe googlies, off a remarkably long run and wickets fell like cicada shells. He took 5/29. But all was well in the end and The Willows won by one wicket with a few overs to spare and then leant cheerfully against the bar to watch the sun come down on the end of a summer’s day that would be hard to fault.