The decision to bat first did not look good when The Willows lost their first three wickets for 9 runs. However, an excellent partnership of 64 runs between Kelvin Scott and Ryan Burson looked to have us back on track. When both fell in quick succession, none of the tail provided any resistance and we were bowled out for 99 in the 28th over. The Shirley captain Will Davies was the chief destroyer with 4/18. All his wickets were clean bowled, a testament to his speed and accuracy.

While The Willows had great bowling options available it was going to be difficult to defend such a low total. Although we did take wickets regularly, opener Jake Wilson batted with great patience and skill to bring the boys home. So it was an outstanding win for the Shirley Boys’ team, their first win in 22 games at The Willows. Many congratulations to the team and their coaching staff on a great result.

PS – The last time The Willows failed to post three figures was 10 November 2019 v Ashburton College 1st XI – some 121 games ago. On that day we scraped together a miserable 72 all out.