Reed got back to winning ways with a convincing 6 win over Preston on Saturday. Having won the toss Reed skipper James Heslam made no hesitation in having a bowl, on a wicket that looked like it would offer some assistance to the bowlers. This proved to be right, when in the 4th over Reed had Preston on the rocks, 3 wickets down for just 6 runs. Lee Johnson (3-37) again proving his worth at the head of the Reed attack picking up all three wickets.
A change in the bowling at the other end introduced young Mitchell Cooper to the attack. The eighteen year old all rounder bowled with good pace but it was his consistent length which saw him continuously trouble the Preston batsman.
Cooper picked up wickets throughout and saw him achieve his best league figures, finishing with 6-22 off 11 overs to record an fine spell of bowling. Preston, despite a late rearguard presence were bowled out for 93.
After a typically fine Preston tea, Reed’s response didn’t quite go to plan, losing Will Heslam and Tom Greaves early on. James Heslam and Chris Jackson then put the game beyond Preston, seeing Reed into a safe position with a valuable third wicket partnership when the home side were starting to exert the pressure. When Heslam went for 36 with the score on 63, Jackson continued the previous good work, and along with Stuart Smith the pair comfortably put the game beyond the home side. With Smith falling late on, it was up to Jackson (26*) to score the winning runs to take all 30 points.
