On the other was Neil Hamilton, belligerently unrepentant Tory ex-minister at the centre of the cash-for-questions scandal, accompanied by a scary wife.
Not only did he chair the hearing firmly and fairly, his admonishments of Clemens near the end for speaking belligerently and out of turn seemed right on point.
Tamim Iqbal burst out of the blocks, belligerently hitting 44 off 43 balls, and with the score at 50 for no wicket after five overs we were staring down the barrel.