Reed again provided great entertainment for the neutral in their Herts League fixture with Broxbourne on Saturday. In an exciting game, culminating in Broxbourne requiring a six off the last ball and Reed requiring just the one wicket, the match was drawn with Reed picking up a fruitful 19 points out of the game.
Having lost the toss and put into bat following the morning rain, Reed had the tougher of the batting conditions. Broxbourne openers bowled tightly and made the most of the moisture in the wicket. Captain James Heslam, making his season debut following the birth of his son, made an outstanding 124 in Reed’s total of 205-9, punishing anything loose, before he was runout from a direct hit with just 2 overs to go. Heslam was impressive throughout, and clearly the pick of the Reed’s batsman, and was supported well by brothers Jack and Sean Tidey, whom both batted with maturity beyond their years.
Quite content with their total, Reed bowlers attacked Broxbourne from the outset. However, the wicket had dried out and was now resembling a good batting track. Broxbourne’s openers batted patiently, with Graham Wilson causing the most trouble bowling up the hill. In Pedlar and Glassberg, Broxbourne made batting look comfortable and found themselves in a strong position with just the one wicket down. However, a double bowling change, which introduced Jackson (2-20) and Greaves (3-41) to the attack, saw the balance of the game change. The fall of wickets, including that of Pedlar and an excellent runout from Heslam of Glassberg, saw the Broxbourne attack falter under the pressure of chasing a run a ball for the remaining 8 overs. Another excellent runout, this time from Graham Wilson, and well held catch from debutant Mitchell Cooper combined with some tight bowling eventually left Broxbourne requiring 7 to win off the last over. Graham Wilson, bowling his 17th over (1-63) lured Robinson into an expansive shot which resulted in Sean Tidey collecting his first dismissal for the first team. With 6 to win off the last ball and one wicket remaining, Rosser gallantly pursued the big shot into the gap; striking a clean hit only to fall short of the maximum by a matter of metres, ending on 204-9. Reed finished with 19 points, in what was another exciting game for the neutral. Next week Reed take on table toppers St Margaretsbury away.
Broxbourne Score Card
