Reed’s 2nd XI for the second week running fell one wicket short of victory. After winning the toss Baz Curtis decided to bat first. Curtis opening with inform Matt Bowles put on 71 for the first ticket and neither batsman seemed in much trouble. Curtis misjudged a drive off the leg spin off Chandracant and was caught at midwicket for 39. The run rate slowed as Mitchell Cooper and Bowles got back on track. Bowles continued to put the bad ball away with some fine drives. He had reached 49 when while plane spotting missed a ball that turned and was bowled. Richard Johnson had no answer to the leg spin and was bowled around his legs for a duck. Suddenly it was 108-3. That soon became 110-4 and Hoddesdon looked back in the match.
Phil Freney was joined by Roddi Liebenberg and the pair began to rebuild. Freney played a fine supporting role pushing the ball around and picking up the odd boundary when the bad ball came along. Liebenberg’s first six scoring shots were all fours and they pair were soon on top. A score of 200 for the home side looked again possible. Freney went for 25 when he became Chandracant forth victim. Will Dobson came in to bat and along with Liebenberg moved Reed from 162-5 to 242-5 off 47 overs. Liebenberg raced to his 50 and was left 81 not out when Curtis decided to declare giving their guests 51 overs to chase the 243 to win.
Opening bowlers Mitchell Cooper and Peter Tidey bowled tight opening spells and Tidey struck when the score was only 5. Hoddesdon’s skipper Nick Gandon came in and played a solid innings and Reed lived to regret some missed chances to remove him with three catches going down. Hoddeson never really looked in the hunt for victory, but Gandon and Stilroy took a lot of overs out of the game. Reed struggled to find a way through, but Marcus Martin removed Stilroy for 19. Neither side were really making much progress on a very flat wicket despite the rain shower at tea.
Keiran Wheeler joined the attack and was finding it hard to get some real turn. He managed to tempt Gandon into a rash shot and keeper Baker took a sharp catch. Overs were running out and a draw looked nailed on. Reed didn’t give up and a run out which saw both batsman at the same end gave Reed a sniff of a chance. Cooper returned and struck to leave the visitors 164-7. Wheeler struck twice in quick succession and with 2 overs to Reed needed one wicket. Tidey took the last over with all the fielders around the bat. The chance came with 2 balls to go, but like the week before it was a tough one and the chance we missed. Another 19 points gained, but only at the end of the season will we know if those points will be vital.
