Reed IIIs were left frustrated after Southgate Compton IIs batted out for a bizarre draw at Freeman College on Saturday. Reed finished the day with a healthy 18 points, but ran out of Overs and just failed to bowl out Compton after the visitors made the strange decision to shut up shop from the start of their innings ending up with 0 points, not even trying to make a total of 110, where the first batting points begin.
The day started off well for Compton, as Reed Skipper Matt Bowles lost his 4th consecutive toss. The visitors elected to field on what looked a belting pitch, and Reed’s openers Ben Bowles and William Heslam then set about putting a total on the board. Youngster Heslam again looked in fine form as he played a classy array of shots, showing maturity and skill beyond his years as he raced into the 20s. Bowles was playing a more watchful innings at the other end, and Reed reached a good total of 56 before Heslam (46) clipped a shot off of his legs stright into the arms of square leg, agonisingly short of what would have been his 3rd half century in 4 games. George Greaves (4) went soon after, and it was left to Bowles and Mitchell Cooper to steady the ship. Scoring was now a much slower process for Reed, but the pair successfully weathered the storm, and with 29 of the allotted 47 Overs gone, Reed had reached 110.
Bowles upped the tempo and began to find the boundary with some thumping shots, ably supported by Cooper. Bowles (56) reached a gritty half century, finally out attempting to up the pace. Maseeh Naeem then entered the fray for Reed with the instructions of skipper Matt Bowles to up the run rate, and that he did. Naeem was brutal in his dissecting of the Compton bowling, plundering boundaries to all parts. Cooper also began to find runs easier to come by as the visitors began to toil in the heat. Naeem reached a quick fire 50 before being bowled with 3 balls to go. Cooper was left stranded on 46 Not Out as skipper Matt Bowles (1 Not Out) declared the Reed innings on 223-4 off of 45 Overs, leaving Compton a fair split of overs to chase down the runs.
However the chase never really began, as Reed opening bowlers Kallum Ward and Julien Fynn bowled an excellent line, restricting the visitors to the odd single. Ward took a wicket and Fynn took two wickets in his spell, following up his fine recent form. Change bowlers Andy Wholley and Mitchell Cooper then followed up the good work, Cooper making another breakthrough to leave the visitors 4 down for 50 runs after 25 Overs. A stubborn middle order partnership involving the visiting skipper then frustrated Reed, as good bowling was met with block after block from the Compton batsmen who were showing absolutely no willing to make a game of it. This led Matt Bowles to take up a very attacking mentality, as every single Reed player was fielding within 20 yards of the batsmen in an attempt to tempt the visitors into playing a shot. The tactics worked as skipper Bowles’ wily off spin proved too tempting for the Compton batsman, who promptly skied a catch to the gleeful hands of the fielder. William Heslam then took two quick wickets in his excellent spell of seem bowling, however with Overs running out, Reed still required 3 wickets for victory. The returning Cooper did bounce out a further Compton batsman, but it was all to no avail as the 45 Over mark finally arrived, with the visitors left on 101-8.
