2nds win on new league debut

Northamptonshire Cricket League

Division 13

Willoughby II v Pytchley

Pytchley 131 for 8

Willoughby 132 for 5

Willoughby started life in the Northamptonshire Cricket League in positive fashion with a home win over fellow league newcomers Pytchley.

With The Green looking in excellent condition, the visitors opted to bat having won the toss and were restricted to a modest 131 for 8 off their 40 overs. Several batsmen made it into double figures but were unable to kick on as Kamesh Ganti (2 for 19) and Nikesh Mistry (3 for 10) plus a run out from Michael Deery put the brakes on their progress. Stephen Bounds and Luke Shackleton at 6 and 7 respectively made top scores of 24 and 27 for Pytchley but it left Willoughby with a reasonable target to chase.

The reply started well before the wickets of Ian Andrews and Hassan Nawaz fell for seven runs seeing the hosts at 32 for 2. Keith Gibson continued the early momentum before he departed for 28 with the score at 63. However it was the partnership between Ganti and skipper Badj Rahman which built on those starts to guide the hosts towards victory.

Ganti fell for 33 which included five boundaries with the score at 93 with Rahman also going seven runs later, but Richard Foxon’s quick-fire 20 not out comfortably saw Willoughby home by five wickets with over five overs to spare.