The Auckland Glimmer XI won the toss and decided to field first. This decision was well vindicated with The Willows team being bowled out for a paltry 115 in 42 overs.

Accurate swing and seam bowling easily put paid to The Willows much vaunted batting line up. The only real resistance came from our middle order with Martin Kelly, James D’Arcy and Ryan McEwan making well over half of The Willows total runs. Neil Ronaldson bowled magnificently collecting four wickets for one run including three bowled.

The Glimmer XI opening batsmen saw none of the dangers in the wicket that our batsmen had imagined and quickly raced to 40 without loss. Bringing Dave Kelly on to bowl did bring The Willows back into the game for a period of time. His excellent control created difficulty for all batsmen and he was well rewarded collecting six wickets from his 10 over spell.

Unfortunately The Willows total was never enough and the Glimmer XI celebrated victory seven down and in 25 overs. A Canterbury ‘ring in’, Carl Frauenstein, scored a run a ball 46 and he was well supported by Andy Bullock with 25.

An early finish was followed by a most enjoyable barbeque with prime steak supplied by the Glimmer team.

As this was our final match for the season it was a fitting opportunity to thank all involved in making The Willows the wonderful venue and experience for so many cricketers, supporters and lovers of the game.