Willoughby 2nds Vs Thrapston

On a glorious Saturday, possibly the best Saturday of the year the 2nds travelled the distance all the way to Thrapston looking to secure the first victory of the season.

It was a little unsettling upon arrival that the cover was still hiding the wicket from the sunshine despite there being no rain for days. It was clear that it was a bowl first day due to the preparation of the pitch. And it proved that once the pitch had time to dry out it was significantly easier to bat on. It was a day where whoever won the toss would win the game, so the skipper called and lost the toss.

In the first 5 overs it was clear that 150 was more like 200 plus - the Thrapston bowlers bowled well, possibly one of the best 40 overs other than a Abington or Bold bowling attack. The only significant scores were for Matt Goss 41 and Matt Smart 24*. They were the only players who could withstand the horrible bounce. At times all 6 deliveries from one over shot through at shin height, very difficult to score. The 2nds limped to 113 for 8. Thrapston's youth in the field probably saving a good 20 - 30 runs perhaps.

After the break Thrapston's openers played sensible for the first 20 overs, punishing the few bad deliveries that were present. Early wickets were key as the wicket dried out enough for the bounce to stabilise. Both Burns 41 and Williams 48 set-up the victory. Ram 3 for 18 was the pick of the bowling with Thornton an economical 6 runs off 5 overs. It took till the 34th over for Thrapston to win, perhaps they had more in the locker but another 30 - 40 runs would have made the game very interesting.

On a day where key players were missing with bat and ball it was a tough loss to take but the team were confident that on the reverse fixture on a more consistent pitch the game will be more than win-able.