Will Heald and David Johnson put-on 59 for the 1st wicket in only 8 overs before they were parted. Each had found boundaries easy to come by. After Heald was dismissed for his hard-hit 48, Reed’s middle order continued to score runs in a steadier manner. Karl Ward and Rupert Martin each reached 30 and Keiran Ward scored 20. Fergus Martin from Reed’s U13’s side scored 11 and Ian Hooper (17) chipped-in too. After 40 overs, Reed declared on 212 for 9, so the overall run rate of 5.3 was much less than had first been anticipated. Scharma had countered with 3 wickets for 32 and Loveridge had bowled his 8 overs economically.

NCI skipper Richard Young led the reply. But he was not young enough! As an adult he had to retire once he’d reached his half-century.

However, Reed found wickets hard to come by so looked vulnerable as Meredith (42), Parker (21) and Platten (21n.o.) continued to amass runs for the visitors. Keiran Ward, 2 for 14, Fergus Martin, 2 for 26 and Peter Baker, 2 for 16 all struck at crucial times, but NCI crept up to the 200 mark with wickets in-hand. They closed just 6 runs less than Reed’s total, but actually achieved more bonus points overall.