Welwyn Garden City II

Having driven through heavy rain on their way to their away fixture at Welwyn Garden City, and with the prospect of further widespread heavy downpours forecast for the rest of the afternoon, top of the table Reed 1st Xl lost the toss and were put in to bat by opponents Welwyn Garden City. Determined to try and salvage a rapid result, and hopefully a win, from the match Reed set about seeking a high score and maximum batting points in helter-skelter style.

Skipper James Heslam led a vicious onslaught against the Welwyn opening attack blasting the ball to all parts of the ground. Bowler Hayward went for 56 in only 5 overs as the Heslam brothers put on 98 in only 10.5 overs for the first wicket before James went for 64, his 50 having come up in only 35 balls and with 10 x 4’s. Will Heslam was now joined by Tom Greaves and matters went from bad to worse for the hapless Welwyn change bowlers. Sumpters 3.5 overs cost him 49 runs as Tom Greaves gave him the charge and blasted 2 x 4’s and 5 x 6’s in an aggressive 58* scored in only 27 balls. Meanwhile the equally effective but more conservative Will Heslam was on 44* with the innings only 17.5 overs old.

The Reed Plan was to blast a quick 200, gain maximum batting points and then seek to bowl out the opposition to force the win. However a total cloudburst obliterated the ground and washed out the match much to the relief of the Welwyn bowlers but to the frustration of Reed.

When the days final results came in it transpired that despite most matches being rained off some had survived and Reed though still top of their table had seen their 18 point lead reduced to only 4 points by a Dunstable side who had been fortunate enough to miss the worst of the downpours. With 2 matches to go Reed remain top of their table and strong favourites for promotion to go with their Lords National Village Cup Final appearance on Sunday 9th September.