North West Youth First XI take on The Willows

Burnside West Christchurch University Cricket Club | December 31, 2025

Just a few days out from Christmas and though prizegiving and the season had long since wrapped up, there was one more fixture on the card for the North West 1st XI. Zac Tait writes.

Having been invited to play against The Willows CC at their incredible facilities in Loburn, it was a game we had been looking forward to all year.

It was a particularly challenging affair for us, as we were missing eight names from our 1st XI squad, which included our entire leadership core and four of the top six batting unit. That gave us the chance to test the depth in the club, with several debuts being made. Zac Chalmers, Yatharth Sharma, Jordy Moore and Ryan Earl were all named for their debuts, while Alex Guillemot was named for his debut as Captain of the side.

There was considerable cause for concern that the game would even go ahead due to the atrocious weather last night, but some stunning work was done by the Willows, and the ground was in pristine condition. It is one of the best grounds in the country and looked in extremely good nick as Alex went out to toss, and it came as no surprise when the Willows won the toss and chose to make first use of the deck.

Alex took the new ball for himself and quickly found his line and length, producing a couple of edges in the first over. The first flew through vacant third slip for 4, and the second was put down in the gully. It was a chance we would rue slightly, as though we bowled tidily for the most part, we only had to miss slightly, and the ball was punished to the boundary.

The only other Year 13 in the squad was George Grayling, and he took the new ball alongside Alex. Much like his new ball partner, he found his bad balls being punished.

Still, despite the Willows getting away to a good start, Alex kept up the attacking fields and was finally rewarded when a leading edge ballooned over gully, and this time Sam was able to hold on to a good catch, running back over his shoulder.

Then, immediately following that, Oscar grabbed a wicket in his first over as he found the edge through to the keeper, and we had dismissed both openers inside 10 overs with the score on 43-2.

The Willows batsmen then settled into their work and started building a partnership with ease, hitting into gaps really well and putting us under immense pressure.

Alex was ringing the changes, having used 6 bowlers in the first 15 overs, and it was the 6th bowler that brought a wicket, albeit with a rank half-tracker that was slapped to point, but Sam didn’t care, he had a wicket, and it was a first catch for Ryan.

That broke a 40-run partnership, just before it became really dangerous, and then those same two combined again for a dismissal, albeit in reverse.

Batting was being handled by current opening batsman Jasper Welford's brother, Gideon Welford, an ex-North West 1st XI batter who had scored plenty of runs for the club and was now playing against us.

He sliced one high off Ryan into the covers, and with Sam backpedalling, he leapt backwards, somehow got 2 hands to it and held on to it as he tumbled to the ground, receiving applause even from the opposition for that effort.

Then, when Ryan added a second in the same over, a brilliant catch by Olly with the gloves off a flashing cut shot, it brought us back into the contest, now at 103-5.

Over the next half hour or so we were nearly batted out of the contest thanks to a brilliant partnership by the pair at the crease..

It was free-flowing, and boundaries were coming at will, and we were unable to stop the flow for quite a while.

The spinners were being swept, the pacers played with ease, and at 160-5 off 32, it was looking like we would be chasing a substantial total.

That changed quickly when Alex went back to Oscar, who provided an immediate breakthrough, getting a touch lucky via a chop on. He then grabbed his third in the same over as he pinned the new batsman lbw.

Meanwhile, the set batsman had notched up a very good half-century and was continuing to find runs with ease.

Liam grabbed the 8th wicket, just to keep us in touch with the score on 181, as Ollie took a good catch low to his left at short cover.

With 200 approaching, George came back to the crease and finished off the innings. Alex still maintained the aggressive fields, and Sam took a brilliant catch at gully off a cut shot, his 3rd catch of the day.

Two balls later, and it was Yatharths' turn to take a good catch, as he dove forward at square leg, and the innings came to an end on exactly 200.

We were very happy with that, and though we’d had a major reshuffle in our batting line-up, it felt like a total we could chase down.

Opening up was Ollie Fifield and Zaak Zaman, who had been thrust up top after spending the majority of the year in the tail.

Opening for the Willows was former North West 1st Xi opening bowler Micah Walters, who produced a very good first over, but conceded 7 through third man from shots off the outside half of the bat.

Ollie looked in good touch early as he played a deliberate dab through third man for 2, and found gaps easily as he raced to 11, but a stunning delivery from Micah took out his off stump, and we were 12-1.

That brought Zac to bat with Zaak, and Zac got his innings underway with a glorious flick off his legs for 4.

Zaak, meanwhile, was gap finding well, and the pair were running hard, continuously ticking the score over. They saw out the rest of the opening bowlers, with Zaak playing a thumping pull shot for 4 over square leg as he looked in really good nick.

Spin came on from both ends and contained us well for the initial overs, but Zaak brought out the broom and began sweeping everything to keep us up with the rate.

Zac was then bowled for 20 in a 47-run partnership with Zaak, leaving us at 61-2 after 15 overs. That brought Olly to the wicket and he looked so comfortable and in control early, after his first ball.

He was beaten all ends up, and the ball went away for a couple of leg byes, but from there, it was all Olly. He got off the mark with a hard run 3, then hit the spinner over mid on for, before slog sweeping for 4 more and topping that off with a 2 and 3 run back to back.

Drinks were taken at 88-2 off 21, so perfectly going at the rate needed for victory. Coming out from drinks, and both batsmen continued from where they left off and in no time had brought up the 50-run stand between them, but with the stand on 58, Olly tried to pinch one single too quickly, and despite the dive, he was run out for a well-made 36.

Zaak, meanwhile, had gone down with cramp, and despite having his legs stretched out, he didn’t receive a lot of sympathy, neither from the opposition nor from his batting partner, who just stood at the non-striker's end.

He was clearly in pain and struggling, but he soldiered on after recieving a life on 46 when he was dropped at slip attempting to ramp, he brought up a well deserved half century the very next ball, this time succeeding in the ramp and sending the ball down to the vacant third man region for 4 a fantastic knock at the top of the order.

His innings wouldn’t last much longer as he was trapped in front by Micah for 55, but that was an incredible effort from the makeshift opener. His wicket made it 139-4 off 34 overs, leaving 62 off 16 overs and 6 wickets in hand.

- Zac Tait

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