Reed won the toss and batted and got off to a fair start on a good batting wicket with a short boundary on one side and sizeable one on the other. After 5 overs they lost William Heslam unluckily caught with the ball lodging in a hapless slip fielders crutch for 19 with the score at 23. John Heslam 25 and No3 Mitchell Cooper took the score to 55 off 15 overs before Heslam Sr lost patience and was bowled seeking to force the pace against a nagging and accurate Hertford attack.
Maseeh Naeem improved Reeds run rate and struck a rapid 31 before holing out in the deep to an awaiting fielder and was replaced by Richard Robertson who also played a positive innings of 23. Mitchell Cooper meanwhile continued to make staedy progresss towards a half century which he duly completed eventually totalling 62 studiously compiled over a 37 over stay at the crease. Reed needed to take their score to at least 200 and beyond and just managed 204 – 9 with Ben Bowles contributing 12 and Alex West striking 2 good blows in 11 not out.
Reed got off to a good start in the field with Julian Fynn swinging the ball prodigiously and Andrew wholley bowling with pace. A wicket for each of them saw Hertford slump to 23 – 2 but when Wholley pulled up with a hamstring injury in his 6th and was unable to continue that was as good as it got for Reed. Hertfords Anderson demonstrated a very positive intent and was well supported by Jones. Fynns 7 over spell yielded 1-20 but thereafter Mitchell Cooper, Alex West, ben Bowles and Richard Robertson made no impression as Hertfords batsmen comfortably moved to 140 – 2.
Skipper John Heslam played his final card calling up son William to bowl and with his second ball he removed Jones caught by Alex west for 45. 14 balls later Heslam repeated the trick bowling the dominant Anderson for 87 and Reed sensed a chance of getting back into the game with the score 162-4. However Hertford had an ace up their sleeve in the experienced Marques, a high quality Sunday player making a rare Saturday appearance. Marques powered to a delightful 51 not out providing a cameo innings the quality of which deserved a higher stage. Hertford achieved the 205 required without further loss with 5 overs to spare. Reed can count themselves unlucky to have come up against a Hertford side significantly strengthened in several departments in relation to any other of their matches so far this season from which they had previously achieved only a solitary win.
