Having lost narrowly to The Willows last year, and not wanting a repeat result, I Zingari bolstered their ranks for the 2016 fixture with not one, but three Kiwis: Stu McCullum, Phil Horne and Willows stalwart Matt Parr.

Unfortunately for I Zingari, despite the addition of local knowledge, the result was the same. Having lost the toss The Willows were inserted to bat on a green seamer. We started well accumulating runs in steady fashion in challenging conditions. I Zingari bowled well and The Willows batsman had to work hard. The innings being anchored with a well-crafted 47 from M Singleton, a stylish 58 from G Howell, and finished off with a flourishing 51 from J Horrell.

The Willows eventually posted 202 from their 40 overs, a competitive score in the circumstances. The pick of the I Zingari bowlers was M Parr, who bowled aggressively as usual, and former Australian international Jason Krejza bowling demanding right-arm off spin.

In reply, I Zingari started well, but conceded wickets regularly throughout the innings. P Booth was the pick of the batsmen with a steady 57, with wickets for The Willows being shared between J Horrell, S Davis, M Williams and the evergreen A Nuttall.

While the final result appeared a little one sided, the difference really was the well-timed knock from Howell, and some tight spin bowling from The Willows in the middle overs. All in all a great day, with The Willows promising to make the trip across the ditch in the near future to take on I Zingari on their home turf.