In a rescheduled 40 over encounter on a sunny Thursday afternoon, The Willows hosted St Thomas of Canterbury College. This match turned out to be a real contest that saw momentum swings and some exceptional individual performances.
The Willows won the toss and elected to bat first, setting the stage for an intense battle as the home side featured five STCC old boys, 3 only a short time out of school who got a chance to play against their old teammates. However, the St Thomas bowlers wasted no time in asserting their dominance early with some fine seam bowling. From the outset, the STCC seamers applied pressure particularly opening bowler Connor Messervy backed up by Gus Wiseman and Harry Hatton leaving the Willows reeling at 5/55.
Facing adversity, The Willows’ lower-order batsmen showcased a little bit of resilience managing to accumulate another 100 runs, pushing the team’s total to a semi-competitive 150. Despite the early setbacks, The Willows had something to defend, setting the stage for an intriguing second innings.
In response, St Thomas found themselves in a precarious position at 45/5. Micah Walther, making an impact right from his first delivery, claimed a stunning caught-and-bowled and went on to take a further three wickets with some accurate seam bowling. Chris O’Connell and Jackson Spicer also not giving the STCC many scoring opportunities. The St Thomas team, however, refused to crumble under pressure.
STCC number three, Finn Roberts emerged as the backbone of St Thomas’ innings, holding his ground and anchoring the innings with an unbeaten 56 not out. Finn’s solid and chanceless innings, supported by contributions from P Ross and Flynn McKendry, guided the team past the challenging phase. St Thomas in the end secured a well-deserved victory with four overs to spare.
The standout performances from Willows bowler Micah Walther, who kept The Willows in the match and the batting display by Finn Roberts, ensured that St Thomas reclaimed the Brother Bill Dowling Trophy. The win was a testament to St Thomas’ resilience and teamwork, as they overcame early hurdles to emerge victorious in what turned out to be a closely contested match.