WILLOUGHBY got their season under way a week later than scheduled on Saturday with a 26-run friendly defeat to visiting Braunston Paddox.
Braunston batted first and made a respectable 149-9 off their 40 overs, this after Willoughby’s Sean Thornton (1-13) opened the bowling with 15-year-old Jake Quinney,
The fall of the first wicket and subsequent change of bowling saw Darren Cox immediately up the tempo, lashing a few hefty blows over both bowlers’ heads.
However, fellow under-15 product Dan Farrow pinned back his colleagues and stepped up, taking two wickets in two balls in his eventual return of 3-13 as Cox retired on 59.
After a middle order collapse, the Braunston ship steadied against the bowling of Dave Alcock (1-11) and Ashley Rayner (2-29).
In reply, Alcock (22) and Nichols (11) took to the field and looked at ease with the bowling but both fell in quick succession.
Rayner (22), Perry (11) and Hollis (23) progressed the score nicely into three figures until their departures then led to a collapse as the hosts were skittled out for 123.
