A rather groggy, weakened Tablelands XI emerged from the bus looking like their stable of vintners had done their worst the night before. Grant Elliott had apparently been called away on some coaching gig and wasn’t snoring safely back at the hotel. Only half the Marshalls were available with James not making it due to filming commitments.

The toss was won by the Tablelands and they elected to bat first, which suited us as we could control the totals at play. It was agreed that a 35-over match would give us enough with batsmen retiring at 40.

The visitors started well until McCaw, having the umpire right under the thumb, appealed effectively for LBW against McHardy who was none too impressed as he ‘smashed it’ into his pad. Runs were drying up a bit and bowlers did well but Hamish Marshall eased through to his retirement and would return later for a little plunder. With the score looking a little light the skippers agreed on a last man stands format to give Tablelands a chance of posting a total. They finished with 156.

The Willows boasted an impressive batting lineup, which performed quite miserably at the top finding the half-track deliveries all too much. Enter our ringer from Auckland, G.White, who anchored the innings at one end and helped guide the team to victory, which we achieved with three overs to spare and seven down. The post-match libations were hosted by the Dormers who put on a cracking barbecue. It was a fantastic match and the Tablelands request our presence for a return match in the near future, vowing revenge.