When the temperature reaches 28 degrees and there’s not a cloud in the sky you firstly, need your captain to win the toss and bat.

Then you need your opening pair to build a steady opening partnership of over 100 at a reasonable rate.

Finally, you need your middle order to take advantage of a tiring (and hot!) bowling attack to build an unassailable total.

Michael Stevens (61) and Matt Stratten (51) initially scored at around six an over, but as the bowlers steadied their line and length they slowed down a little, but combined well, with some excellent running between the wickets, and shots all round the wicket, as they added 114 in 27 overs, before both were stumped, one on the leg side and one on the offside.

Jamie Jouning (59 not out), Tom Edrich 44 and Luke Hutton (28 not out) were the middle order batsman able to take advantage of the excellent base laid by the opening pair, and 256 seemed, and in the end, proved to be, unassailable.

Southgate started the Acton innings in the same manner, confident, enthusiastic and successful.

Good catching, top class fielding and subtle slow bowling by Woffers and Ravi Desai and the home side found themselves 108-5.

It was at this point your correspondent had to leave to go home to see another important sporting encounter, but not before one of the Acton regular supporters told me that Southgate were easily the best opposition that Acton had met this season, and could not understand why they were bottom of the league.

The game changed at this point, with the Acton opening bat (74) guiding his team to a much higher score than expected, as they took advantage of the short boundary, Southgate’s fatigue and perhaps a lack of nohow in getting over the line. But in the end 256 was a bridge too far and Southgate were delighted to achieve their first win of the season.

Another one on President’s Day, next week, perhaps?

Peter Jouning