Reed 1st XI travelled away to Sawbridgeworth for a cricket conference fixture on Sunday, due to having no Herts league fixture.
In cloudy but fairly mild conditions, Reed captain Marcus Martin lost the toss and his side were put into the field by Sawbridgeworth. The home side started in solid fashion, reaching 44 for the first wicket despite tight line and length bowling from Rupert Martin and Andrew Wholley. It was Martin that got the 1st wicket, having Kirkpatrick caught ‘skying’ a pull shot by Richard Johnson , which was a real surprise to all in the field. Wholley then bowled new batsman Marshall with a pacey delivery to leave Sawbridgeworth 59-2.
The rest of the Sawbridgeworth innings was slow going in terms of run rate, with Reed’s strong bowling attack stifling the beleaguered batsmen. Pacey spells from Richard Johnson and captain Marcus Martin both yielded a wicket each , but it was Reed’s slower bowlers that had the most joy. Neil Haslam took 3 for 19 in his 6 overs, including the dangerous Small for 49 after good work by Reed keeper Kumar Bunkerkarra. Karl Ward’s positive spell also netted him 3 wickets to end the Sawbridgeworth innings on 159.
In reply Reed sent out Ed Blissett and Simon Jackson to open the batting. The pair batted in a slow but steady fashion, with Reed on 56 for no wicket after 20 overs. After this, the pair began to up the pace, with Jackson looking in good form. Blissett’s strike rate also increased to its normal high level, pushing the score onto 115 before Blissett was bowled by Small on 44. The game then swung towards Sawbridgeworth as first new batsmen Mike Jackson was removed for a duck, followed by Simon Jackson 3 overs later, who made a good 67.
Reed were left with the task of scoring 6 runs an over with 2 new batsmen at the crease, in the forms of skipper Marcus Martin and Matt Bowles. Some innovative batting enabled the pair to edge towards the target, however another twist lay in waiting as Martin was trapped plumb LBW by Kirkpatrick for 11. The task of taking Reed home now rested on the big hitting Matt Bowles, and the elegant and in form Richard Johnson (7 Not Out). The pair shrugged off the pressure to draw the scores level with 4 balls remaining, before a calamitous mix up resulted in Bowles being run-out for 18. Kieran Ward (1 Not Out) remained cool however to hit the winning run the very next ball, to give Reed a good 5 wicket victory.
Captain Marcus Martin was very pleased with his teams efforts, extending his unbeaten run as Sunday captain. “We bowled very and then the batsmen dealt with the pressure at the end brilliantly after Simon Jackson and Ed Blissett both gave us a great platform. I thought our fielding was exemplary too”.
