It was great to host Garfield Charles and the St Bede’s 1st XI albeit minus a few of their Canterbury U-17 reps. They faced a fired-up Willows unit well-led by Paul Miller who elected to bowl first on a surface with a bit in it. Initially, wickets were scarce as their top-order, led by skipper Kyle Stevens and the Croy brothers, took control. However the Willows team stuck to the task well. There was a bounce in their stride, plenty of chat, plus some smart catching behind the wicket and soon reward came. Ex-Bedeans Jack Haines and Josh McCarthy had good spells with the ball as did the young Rangiora High School left-arm spinner Brayden McLeod. SBC were restricted to 186/9 off 50 overs – a very gettable target.

The Willows were clinical in the run chase. Three (Kelvin Scott, Tom Mušić and Josh McCarthy) of the top four batsmen made runs; with each being severe on anything loose. A raft of fine shots to and over the boundary rope secured the predicted victory. Watching at the other end was very entertaining. However, during the day, we saw enough of the young St Bede’s side to know they will go from strength to strength under the guidance of coach Garfield. Everyone enjoyed the cricket, afternoon sun and the banter.