The word was out a week prior to this match that the Willows pitch offered a stage to perform on. Offering assistance to both bowler and batsmen, this was a match that we had all been waiting for.

For that very reason, I was determined to make my second captaincy experience a successful one both in terms of the result, and on an individual level. Unfortunately my plan to continue to develop as an opening batsmen (captaincy is a wonderful thing!) was abruptly squashed as news filtered through that in fact two captains had been appointed on this particular occasion, and that I might not be leading the team.

The decision to move aside was simple. How could I refuse a former primary school teacher of mine who once taught me the art of holding a bat all those years before?

Dayle Hadlee was now in charge and among other things he produced the piece of paper that held the names of our players and the day’s batting order. He had placed me at number 10, an area of the batting order that is all too familiar to me.

In fairness to Dayle, his decision making proved to be exceptional and his totalitarian approach when it came to the toss proved fruitful. Runs on the board was the instruction given by captain Hadlee, and the plan was adhered to clinically.

First there was an opening stand of 56 by Dunnett and McCarthy at more than a run a minute, which was immediately followed by a terrific stand of 105 by McCarthy and Maw.

With a middle order that included former New Zealand player John Reid, and promising youngster Andrew Ellis (from Burnside High School) there were ominous signs that a big score would be posted.

The highlight for the Willows was the consistency of each partnership in the top and middle order, which laid the foundation for an extremely respectable total. Maw continued to bat through the innings and combined with Reid for a partnership of 51 (it was noted that there were no 3s in John’s innings of 29), and Ellis for 34.

Ellis finished on 30 not out, and Maw was unfortunate not to bring up his hundred, falling two runs short. The Willows batsmen had performed admirably and combined to reach a very healthy score of 275 for 6.T

he bowling for the North Canterbury Schools team was spearheaded by Hamish Williams, who impressed with his pace and bounce, and showed plenty of promise as a strike bowler for the future.

With the ball the Willows side had an equally successful day, and although the weather conditions didn’t help much, the bowling disciplines were good. At 3 for 13 the North Canterbury team were in trouble, thanks largely to a very tidy spell from Lucas who bowled six overs for 8 runs. Michael Hastings and Hadlee also bowled well with returns of 1 for 17 from eight overs, and 1 for 12 from six overs respectively.

With instructions from Hadlee that he would have to leave early from the match, I was given the honour of taking over the captaincy and it was to make an immediate impact on the game. No longer did I have to run in off 10 paces, but instead I got to finish all my overs bowling spin. Not being a coincidence, runs all of a sudden started to flow for the school team although fortunately that was quickly dried up the by the skill and guile of Bob Masefield. Bowling a combination of ‘floaters’, ‘wrong-uns’, and ‘arm-balls’, the experience of the ex-Canterbury player proved too much for the majority of the school talent. Masefield went on to record figures of 3 for 35 from ten overs, which in itself didn’t reflect the skill that he showed in wet conditions.

The fielding display by the Willows team was outstanding, with some of the catching were equal to the best at a first class level. The North Canterbury Schools team went on to be all out for 128, with only a hard hitting innings from Findlay (48) coming in at number 8 in the order, and Bunz (24) making it over the 20 mark.

It was a very comprehensive victory for the Willows side, who kept up a high standard throughout the day. While the weather didn’t assist greatly to the playing conditions, the standard of the wicket most certainly did and it was another fine example of Vince Cusack’s efforts.