Expectations were high as players assembled for this fixture as it is always a great match played in the best spirit. What would unfold over the day was one of the closest and most enjoyable games many have played at The Willows.

The Willows lost the toss and batted on a very good wicket although a little on the slow side. We made steady progress but were pinned down by some good spin bowlers who were hard to get away particularly at the death. Our score of 184 runs I believe was thirty runs below par given the wicket. Good batting contributions came from M Newton-Vesty, T McConnell, G McCarthy and A Watson. The pick of the Nelson bowlers was T Zohrab with figures of 4 for 33 from nine overs.

As always, The Willows enjoyed a fantastic lunch and were slightly sluggish to begin with in the field. The batting effort of Nelson College showed fight, strength and maturity. This reflects the good coaching structures within the College and that the team is playing in the men’s competition in Nelson. The Willows bowled in tight areas and were backed up by some energetic fielding. Opener D Zohrab provided an excellent anchor role as wickets started to fall around him. However, with the arrival to the crease of P Howes, together they put on a fantastic partnership of nearly 100 runs. As captain, I felt under extreme pressure and kept changing bowlers, moving the field (at times feeling like an air traffic controller seeking a semblance of order) in an effort to break the stand.

With the score at 145 for five wickets Nelson College were heavily in the driver’s seat. Then came The Willows fightback with tight bowling from C Dale, J Hunt and J Edgerton-Till. However, once they had completed their mandatory 10 overs I still needed to call on someone else to “fill” two more overs. I tossed the ball to N McNichol who due to injury could not bowl his usual pace. He ended up taking four wickets for 8 runs, giving The Willows the narrowest of wins. D Zohrab batted throughout the entire innings to be undefeated at the end – a superb achievement.

Once again, it was a most enjoyable game. Thanks to both teams and we look forward to doing battle again next year.