Reed’s Division 2 Hertfordshire League crusade continued afresh on Saturday as they drew to Kings Langley away. Seeking their maiden win of the season, the visitors left disappointed as they narrowly missed out on a victory despite a valiant push as their overs expired.

Simon Jackson, Reed 1st XI’s skipper, won the toss and elected to bowl on a pitch which offered hints of moisture and potential seam movement, yet Reed failed to capitalise with early breakthroughs as K.Rolfe (17) and M.Cooke (11) fought hard to build a solid foundation. It took a change of ends from opening bowler, Michael Berks (15-5-48-3), to bring about any change of fortune for Reed, as he snared both openers, one caught sharply at first slip by Richard Jerome, the other victim to a close LBW decision. However, the onslaught had only just begun as King’s Langley’s Guyanese player, R. Jadunadh (73), strode to the crease. Characterised by solid defence and fluid attacking strokes all around the wicket, he controlled the bowling and formed the core of the home side‚s 192-7 off their 53 overs.

It was only due to some nagging bowling by Richard Jerome (22-8-49-2), in a mammoth spell to finally winkle out the West Indian. Combined with Chris Jackson’s canny off-spin bowling at the other end (6-0-26-1), Reed looked on top at one point, but the balance of power once again shifted as M.Brazier’s (13) removal thanks to a lightning stumping off Chris by his brother Simon, allowed J. Morton (32) to the crease, whose lusty attacking strokes catapulted Kings Langley to a very respectable total.

Reed’s reply began with typical vigour, as Baz Curtis, posed questions to Reed’s selectors as he struck a dominant, and at times scintillating 53, after being promoted back up to his usual position of opener. Tom Fulk complemented Curtis’s aggressive technique with his controlled and classical shot-selection to graft a gritty 29. At 86-1 Reed looked well on target to win, but when King’s Langley’s overseas player (14-3-47-5) came on bowling his whippy leg spinners, the scene changes. His accuracy and variation helped him pick up 5 wickets during the innings reducing Reed’s chasing ambitions to tatters. Chris Jackson (25) began to establish himself, but skied a drive out of frustration and Kings Langley smelt victory for the first time, but Richard Jerome (16), Simon Jackson (21)and Chris Shorrock (25) gave the visitors hope, by rotating the strike sufficiently to disrupt the bowlers‚ rhythms and edge Reed to 181 for 8 off their 47 overs.

It was a game that Reed felt they should have won, but their batting let them down. Simon Jackson, 1st XI and club captain, commented: “As a team, we’re still not quite firing on full cylinders yet, and a win here would have kicked of our league run. We are awaiting the arrival of a couple of absentees which will boost us, but even so, we let ourselves down. However, at no point this season do we feel that we have been outplayed.”

Next week sees the return of club bowling veteran and leading wicket taker Peter Tidey from a succession of holidays, as well as James Heslam, Reed’s inspirational opening batsman, from university.

The 1st XI’s opponents this week are Berkhamstead on Saturday in Hertfordshire League Division 2 and Biddenham in the Regional Semi Finals of the Village Cup on Sunday, whom they eliminated from the competition the year before. Both fixtures are at home.