The captain was late arriving to the match and discovered that The Willows had won the toss and decided to bat first. The decision looked flawed early on as The Willows were 17/2 at the end of the third over. Ben Blair came in and steadied the ship until he was spectacularly caught by Ash Watson on the deep square leg boundary off the bowling of Aiden Mikaera. This brought Dan Vann to the crease which was eagerly awaited by the Northwest players as Dan had coached them on a recent tour of Australia. Dan batted superbly and his partnership with Mark Weeds evaporated any hope that the Northwest boys would have bragging rights. Mark was eventually dismissed for 81, a partnership of 155, and Dan Vann retired on 102. Northwest bowled steadily, particularly the two spinners Aiden Mikaera and Will O’Brien, who both bowled well for little reward. Their fielding was excellent but still The Willows got through to 274/8.

North West started their chase in a positive fashion, with Finbar O’Flaherty particularly aggressive. However, they lost regular wickets due to the pressure placed on them by excellent bowling from Nigel Marsh. Northwest suffered from a lack of partnerships and were struggling at 57/5 at afternoon tea. Unfortunately, rain set in not long after tea and the game was abandoned with Northwest at 80/6.

Thank you to the umpires and Tony Campbell for scoring, and also to the parents of the Northwest players. It was wonderful see them supporting the game and their boys. The afternoon was also an occasion to thank John Mitchell, who is retiring from Burnside High School, for all the work he has done for cricket at the school. He has been a wonderful teacher, colleague and friend and he will be missed around the school.