Willoughby Slip Up On Wednesday

After winning the toss and a lengthy discussion with the senior members of the team, captain Si Nicholls elected to bowl first.

Rich Fox on opened the bowling impressing again with a solid short burst removing one of the OLs openers. The other opener shortly followed with captain Nicholls taking his off stump with an impression first delivery.

With the innings balanced after the early exchanges the OLs 3 and 4 took control working the ball into the gaps with dot balls evading the Willoughby bowler. Neither Crane, Nicholls or Thornton were able to halt the momentum following OLs way with 180+ not an impossibility. It was left to the most senior member of the team John Gregson to turn the tide. Removing the OLs 3 and 4 for 53 & 34 respectively. Shortly after numbers 5 and 6 followed leaving John with figures of 4-13. With the innings back in the balance some late hitting meant the OLs finished 164-7 with Foxon picking up a late wicket finishing with 2-27.

With the light beginning to go and the clouds rolling in the Willoughby openers in the form of K.Gibson and S.Thornton wondered out into the middle. Moderate progression was achieved early on with Gibbons once again showing in his debut WWC season that he is a name to consider in the FL transfer window with a frantic 20 with some Sonic like running. Thornton continued to hold up an end running hard and adding in the some long handle shots to keep the Willoughby faithful interested.

However with power player Foxon going early, followed not long after by F.Clayton for 12 which would turn out to be the last double figure score of the day meant Willoughby were on the ropes.

With the rain coming down, the light all but gone and the artificial becoming more and more slippy, demonstrated by Bingos best Bambe impression when attempting a quick 2. The remainder of the Willoughby batting card ened up resembling something out of the Yellow page rather than a cricket score card. However is should be mentioned batting was like even darker than england vs pakistan karachi 2000 and so wet even dickie bird would have stopped play. Special mention goes to S.Thornton for his 55 unbeaten, however suggestions were made that carrying your bat in a loosing chase could carry a fine. But his unbeaten 55 did mean Willoughby ended on a respectable 140 all out in the last over.

Again well done for everyone making the effort to be able to play on Wednesday as we all know it not easy to fit in.

Willoughby will brush themselves off ready for this week's cup game going into it as the real underdogs very capable of delivering an upset.

Report by Nick Crane