On a lovely sunny day the Craz won the toss and elected to bat. This was a brave decision on this occasion, as recent rain had left the pitch with a definite greenish tinge and parts of the outfield were damp. But initially the decision appeared to be a good one, as after weathering some hostile opening bowling from Grant Stewart, the opening partnership progressed towards 40.

However misfortune then befell their opener Ben Prain, as he injured his shoulder in the course of smiting a mighty boundary and had to retire hurt. Mike Lay and Hamish Pavey then batted well to take the score up to 66/0, before the great Andrew Nuttall struck with two wickets in his second over. As he does so often at The Willows, Nutts bowled simply beautifully (certainly much better than he fielded on this occasion!). And this time he had a highly capable spin twin with him in offie David Kelly, and between them they combined for figures of 15-2-35-5 to strangle the Craz innings.

Our other bowlers also performed well including Brendon Wellington, who bounced back from two dropped catches in his first over to remove the well set Hamish Pavey in his second spell. While Ryan McEwan bowled an excellent spell after lunch, to remove dangermen Bob Masefield and Hugh Fraser. So after their good start the Craz were restricted to 139/9 off their 45 overs and with the pitch and outfield both speeding up, things looked promising for The Willows.

And so it proved, as after an early wicket Mike Singleton and Graeme Inglis got the score moving – although when Mike was third out at 60 for a very well compiled 35, the Craz sensed a chance. But at this stage Gareth Reed joined David Kelly and together they hit off the rest of the runs, putting together a top class partnership of 80. Gareth finished with a very mature innings of 37 not out while David played shots all round the wicket in his classy 55 not out, which together with his very good bowling spell made him an obvious choice for the man of the match award.

As always though the Craz were wonderful opposition, who play the game in the perfect spirit. They enjoy every moment of their cricket (not to mention the socialising afterwards!) and always enrich The Willows with their presence.

And as always at The Willows a great team works tirelessly behind the scenes, from the pitch preparation to the delicious catering, enabling the players to get the maximum enjoyment from the privilege of playing there.

Big thanks to all involved, including our excellent umpires on the day Howard and John and friendly scorer Rod, and of course Mr Cricket himself – the wonderfully enthusiastic, effervescent and irrepressible Mike Dormer!

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