Winning the toss, the Willows captain elected to bat first on a slow, rain affected pitch. After the loss of Michael Hastings at 20, a partnership of 42 for the second wicket between Guy Bromley and John Mitchell established a solid platform for the following batsmen.

Guy Bromley went on to make a stylish 45 from 65 deliveries and was dismissed with the score at 85/3. This brought Wade Cornelius to the wicket who hit a rapid 22 from only 32 balls. With Darin Cusack (63) he shared in a partnership of 67 for the fourth wicket. The Willows finished with 192/9 – perhaps 20 runs short of a competitive score.

As the St. Bede’s innings progressed, the target became a difficult chase against a four pronged spin attack. The outstanding bowling came from the spin of Stephen Gibson and Keith Yardley, who both took two wickets and turned the match in the Willows’ favour. The game was sealed with some probing spin bowling from Mike Hastings (3/32) and Wally Scott (3/34). The fielding effort was ably led by the joint efforts of John Mitchell and Peter Wallace behind the stumps.

The Willows completed a very professional 24 run victory over St. Bede’s. Thanks to all who took part in and organised a most enjoyable day’s cricket.