On arrival at the ground players were welcomed with some superb catering by Les and Judy East, a very fast outfield, a fine pitch and temperatures approaching 30 degrees.

Hamish Wright, The Willows Captain won the toss, elected to bat first and there was a fine opening stand from the captain’s son, Edward Wright and Christchurch Boys’ High School Principal, Nic Hill. Tight bowling restricted The Willows batsmen but some great batting from John Masefield and Hugo Davison enabled The Willows to finish on 173.

In reply, the Bradley Nuttall XI started poorly. They lost an opener in the third over but this brought Daniel Sharples to the crease who combined with Tim McConnell to put together a 50 run partnership in less than seven overs. This was followed by some good scoring from Jack Nuttall and Jordan Ashford and then a nice opportunity for Jim Stringleman to spend some time in the middle with Chris Harris. Despite some tight bowling from Patrick Croker the target was reached in the 32nd over.

It was an enjoyable game. It was good to see Chris Harris at The Willows again and his Sydenham club stalwart Mike Dolden very much enjoyed the opportunity to bat and bowl with Chris.

All players were grateful for the high standard of umpiring provided by Graham Evans and Peter Whiteside and for the numerous visitors who enjoyed the day in the country.