Reed eased into the final of the Keatley Cup after a comfortable win against neighbours Therfield last week.
Batting first on a damp and slow wicket on The Green, Reed made steady progress due to the good shot selection of openers Baz Curtis and Marcus Martin. Therfield werent making it easy for Reed, and the fast bowling of Walker-Smith combined with the slow accurate spells from Therfields experienced bowling attack meant boundaries were hard to come by. Never-the-less, Baz Curtis did begin to time the ball well, and reached 30 before he holed out. Martin then played a rash shot and was bowled to lose his wicket after a good start. The Reed batsmen continued to push the score along at a steady rate, with Richard Johnson and Michael Robertson impressing before getting out trying to up the run rate. Skipper Simon Jackson then saw his team to the close of the 16 Over innings with the Reed score on a solid 93.
In reply Therfields progress was halted immediately by superb spells of seem bowling from the pacey Richard Johnson, and the impressive Karl Ward. Both ripped into the Therfield top order, taking three wickets apiece to leave Therfield reeling. Once Ward and Johnson had finished, it was left to the never-green Jason Archer to use his wealth of experience to tie up the Therfield tail. Archer bowled very economically, and the pressure built on the batsmen allowing him to snag two wickets with his wily swing bowling. Rupert Martin also got a wicket as Therfield limped to 40-9 off of their 16 Overs.
