The Willows selected a strong and youthful side for the fixture. The decision to bat first on a damp, green and grassy track was a bold move by the skipper. After the loss of early wickets it was left to Jeremy Benton and skipper James Richards to develop a decent partnership. After Jeremy fell for a commendable 54, wickets again began to tumble. It was the young Rangiora High School bowler Harry Witt who totally destroyed The Willows innings taking a staggering 6 for 8. He narrowly missed out on a hattrick amidst the mayhem which saw us all out for only 137 runs.

The Willows knew a strong bowling effort was needed after the pitch had flattened out. Up stepped Fergus Fairbairn and James Tapper who had the Country Schools XI reeling at 17 for 5. It could have been a whole lot worse when Cole Mills was stumped early on in his innings by a sharp bit of glove work from Matt McKenzie but was remarkably given not out. He went on to score 54, providing some resistance to Fairbairn who was bowling with good accuracy and pace, finishing with 5 for 32. Spin twins Mitch Ross and Jeremy Benton were reunited and were incredibly accurate with their line and length eventually finished off the opposition for 111 runs.

To have two bowlers in the same match produce honours board performances is a rare feat. And what’s more, Harry’s 6/8 is the fourth best bowling figures ever in the history of the Club. Not bad for someone who has just turned 15 years of age – Ed