After winning the toss The Willows chose to bat and the first 20 overs could be compared to watching the highlights on Sky TV. This set the tone to a rewarding and hard day’s cricket played on a beautiful autumn day. Wakefield, Patel and Cowlishaw dominated the Combined Schools attack and after 25 overs The Willows had scored 180. Brad Doody and Hugh Wright kept the score moving to reach a competitive total of 329/6.

Goldstone and Norris were the pick of the Combined bowlers, who, as a side, in hot dry conditions, never gave up.

The Combined batting was dominated by a brilliant century by Goldstone who punished The Willows bowlers to all parts of the ground. Well supported by Paterson and Dwyer, the combined team kept The Willows bowlers honest, but the dominating start by The Willows batsmen was always going to be a challenge to a well polished Combined Schools team.