The Suburban XI elected to bat first on a very green wicket. The decision proved well justified as The Willows bowling did not do justice to itself in the early stages.

The inability of The Willows to bowl a consistent line and length cost the team dearly and contributed greatly to the Suburban XI posting a competitive score of 303 for 8. This score included 37 wides resulting in The Willows bowling an additional 6 overs.

Tom Agnew, Fraser Hawes and Brendon Wellington each picked up 2 wickets with Josh Coll and the evergreen and ageless Bruce Cameron, one a piece.

The Suburban innings was characterised by a number of very useful partnerships throughout which resulted in The Willows not being able to apply any great pressure during the innings.

A run chase of 304 was always going to be a tough assignment for The Willows but a steady start followed by excellent innings from Ross Bayliss and Richard Abbott were not enough to allow The Willows to maintain a run rate which was required to meet the Suburban total.

Special thanks to Roger Georgieff and the Suburban Association for bringing a team to The Willows for the annual fixture. It was very refreshing to see that Suburban cricket remains in good heart, and we look forward to their return fixture next season.

Our appreciation also to the umpires Bernie Hamilton and John Elley, as well as the scorer Tony Campbell.