CHERRIES rounded off their pre-season campaign with an entertaining 2-2 draw at home against Napoli.

With West Bromwich Albion boss Tony Pulis present to observe Eddie Howe’s team ahead of their Premier League season opener on Saturday, Benik Afobe scored his fourth goal in three pre-season games to cancel out Belgian Dries Mertens’s 30th minute strike.

Simon Francis then struck for the home side to put them in the box seat at 2-1, only for substitute Piotr Zielinski to respond for the Italian club six minutes from time.

With no Jermain Defoe in the match day squad as a precaution having picked up a slight knock, the home side kept striker Afobe in their starting XI for the clash against the Serie A outfit.

The visitors, fresh from their exploits in the Audi Cup with games against Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich in Germany, named a strong line-up on their trip to the south coast.

Napoli fashioned the first chance of the contest on five minutes. Kalidou Koulibaly, who scored in his side’s 2-0 victory over Bayern Munich last time out, headed over after a cross was drilled in from the left hand side.

A glorious chance then came for Napoli on 14 minutes as Jose Callejon latched on to a deft chip in behind the Cherries’ backline. While goalkeeper Asmir Begovic got a hand to the Spaniard’s effort, Tyrone Mings was there to clear the ball to safety.

Begovic was busy once again midway through the first period, the keeper dived to his left to palm away Lorenzo Insigne’s right-foot curler after he cut in on the angle.

At the other end, Joshua King and Jordon Ibe almost linked up with the away defence stretched. The resulting corner narrowly evaded Mings with Dan Gosling just unable to pounce on the loose ball inside the area.

But on the half hour mark, the away side took the lead. Insigne’s strike deflected off Mertens, who was credited as scoring the opener.

The Belgian international was proving a handful for the home defence, and he almost made it 2-0 four minutes later, he saw his shot saved by the onrushing Begovic after racing in behind Cherries’ backline.

Just three minutes after the break, Steve Cook appeared to come off in some discomfort, to be replaced by Jack Simpson.

But despite being forced into making that change, Cherries levelled four minutes later. Gradel’s ball across the six-yard box looped off a defender and Afobe was there to nod home.

Keeper Artur Boruc then kept the scores level with a superb double save, keeping out Mertens and Insigne on the follow up, that came before King worked Reina with a stinging low drive at the other end.

But Cherries’ second goal came on 76 minutes and it was Francis who put his team ahead. After Napoli substitute Zielinski went down with no foul given, the Cherries’ captain coolly rounded the goalkeeper and slotted the ball home.

Zielinski responded however, slotting the ball intot he bottom corner on 84 minutes to ensure the game finished level.

Cherries: Begovic (Boruc, h-t); Francis, S Cook (Simpson, 48), Mings, Daniels; Gradel, L Cook, Gosling, Ibe; King (Ndjoli, 87), Afobe (Mahoney, 70). Unused subs: Butcher, Holmes, Worthington, Harfield, Dobre.