Reed III's maintained their impressive start to the season with a comprehensive victory over Frogmore. Skipper Peter Baker won the toss and with a strong batting line up elected to bat on a scorching summers day. However, things did not start smoothly, Aidan Swain (8) fell early on to the experience bowling of Salt, then the Skipper, Peter Baker, ran out the inform Tom Greaves, who was then himself run out by Ben Bowles, leaving Reed on 18 for 3. Big hitting Masseh Naeem joined Bowles at the crease and the pair "steadied the ship" before Bowles (17) fell to a sharp caught and bowled by Sanders. Naeem (45) went on to hit some lusty blows in partnership with Alan Ward (29) as Reed took command, but both then fell in quick succession to Frogmores slower bowlers. Reed then lost Marcus Baker (13) and Kallum Ward (3) but this brought the unorthodox Graham Hazard (28 not out) and youngster Mitchell Cooper (20 not out) to the crease. Hazards took his no nonsense style to the Frogmore bowlers and guided Reed to 179 for 8 from their allotted overs.After tea Reed bowled tightly with impressive youngsters Mitchell Cooper and Kallum Ward, Cooper removed opener Baskett restricting Frogmore early on, but could not get a further break through. Tom Greaves and Veteran swinger Ian Roberts then took over, Greaves took 2 wickets in a tidy spell, whilst Roberts rolled back the years with 4 wickets for just 24 runs in his 10 overs. Frogmores batsmen then dug deep to try and save the game but the introduction of wiley medium pacer Alan Ward dented any hope Frogmore had, his 2 wickets in 1.3 overs won Reed the [...]

Reed III’s suffered their first defeat of the season on Saturday, in a low scoring but thrilling game away at fellow high flyers Great Gaddesden.Reed batted first on a tough and rain soaked track, getting off to a bad start by losing 3 early wickets with the score on only 32. It took big hitters Tom Greaves (21) and Masseh Naeem (27) to help Reed avoid a crisis, with the pair increasing the score to 76-3 at drinks with some lusty blows. However, the drinks break was the signal for another Reed collapse as first Naeem and then Greaves fell in quick succession. As two further wickets then fell, Reed looked to be heading for a sub 100 score at 82-8, until Karl Ward and Rupert Martin came together in the middle. Ward looked in especially good touch as he stroked the ball around with class, ably supported by Martin. The pair put on 40 runs for the next wicket, when Ward was well caught at short mid wicket for a well made and crucial 34. Martin(14) managed to up the Reed score in conjunction with skipper Peter Baker (5 Not Out) but in the end good bowling and fielding meant Reed finished on 138 All Out from 45 Overs. In reply the hosts began positively and got over the early loss of captain Warren, who was caught well by Ben Bowles off of the bowling of Ward. Great Gaddesden were seemingly cruising, all be it in fairly slow fashion, towards their target of 139. Cheeseman Snr (45) and Crawley (39) were looking well set as the home side made it to 3 figures with only the one wicket down. However the re-introduction of the [...]

Reed IIIs maintained their winning start to the season at home to Old Albanians IIIs on Saturday. Playing their first game on their newly acquired home ground at Freeman College, Reed captain Matt Bowles lost the toss and his side were asked to field. Opening bowlers Kallum Ward and Julian Fynn bowled excellently for little reward in the opening exchanges, on what was turning out to be an excellent track to bat on. The visitors made steady progress and found themselves without loss on 66 after 22 Overs. The introduction of the returning Jim Allsopp and the wily Richard Robertson soon turned the game in Reed’s favour however, as Allsopp uprooted an off stump, before Maseeh Naeem held on to a good catch to leave Albanians 70-2. Robertson then got in on the act, as his patient and cunning spell of swing bowling proved too much for the ailing batsmen, Robertson eventually ending up with 3 wickets. Kallum Ward also returned to the act with some style, as the promising youngster bowled a brilliantly accurate and pacey spell of seam bowling, taking 4 wickets, including 3 in 7 balls. Julian Fynn then returned to deservedly wrap up the tail. Old Albanians finally all out for just 123. In reply, youngster William Heslam picked up where he left off from the week before, where he scored a half-century on debut, by clattering the experienced Albanians attack to all quarters. Heslam played some wonderful shots and finished up on a magnificent 73 Not Out, ably supported by Steve Lovegrove (35 Not Out) as Reed got home for the loss of just one wicket, Peter Baker (9) to secure an impressive 9 wicket victory.

The third eleven finally found the victory that had eluded them for 6 weeks when they defeated the 2nd placed Codicote at St Christopher School, Letchworth.  Reed captain Peter Baker won the toss and put the opposition into bat.Rupert Martin (10-1-25-3) opened proceedings and with his fourth ball took the first wicket, at the other end Kallum Ward (6.5-2-11-4) matched this feat.  However, Reed then found resistance in number three Poulton (62*) whose steady innings saved Codicote from disaster as the wickets continued to fall at a regular intervals.  Bowlers Ian Roberts (12-5-21-2) and Michael Robertson (8-0-43-1) contributed to the wicket tally, but it was Martin and Ward returning in their second spells that mopped up the Codicote tail.  Codicote limped to 120 all out from 42.5 overs, thanks to several useless contributions from the order including four ducks, three of them golden.  Reeds own batting performance started badly itself when P. Baker (0) was caught fifth ball of the innings.  But to Codicote’s own misery this allowed the hard hitting Michael Robertson to come to the crease.  Robertson (45) supported by Matt Bowles (23) took quick singles and boundaries with some precise shots and aggressive batting.  The partnership of 58 ended when Robertson was caught looking for his half century.  However, from one problem to another Codicote then faced Masseh Naeem who despite a shaky start, smacked 30.  A succession of quick wickets then followed but Reed were in not going to allow this win slip through their fingers.  Marcus J.E. Baker (11*) and Rupert Martin (4*) finished the job with 15.5 overs to go.  Father and son C. Richards (14-5-57-2) and L. Richards (5.1-1-22-3) the only two of the Codicote bowling talent to [...]

On another hot and sunny day at Freman College the visitors batted first on the hard fast and true wicket but were well contained by the tight Reed bowling of Julian Fynn 8 Overs 1-10 and Karl Ward 8 Overs 2-17. Tunnell 40 was the mainstay of the North Mymms innings supported by Bevans 21 and Rodgers 21. However Richard Robertson 4-21, aided by fine Reed catching (Will Heslam x2) and good ground fielding kept significant pressure on the visitors who eventually subsided to 136 all out with one ball of their maximum 47 overs remaining. After a sumptious tea the father and son combination of 57 year old John and 14 year old William Heslam set about the North Mymms total. Regular boundaries flowed from the bats of both batsmen and JQH defied his broken finger injury with 13x4's and 1x6 in his 67 not out. William again batted majestically scoring his 3rd half century (also add a 47!) in 5 appearances in the league this season. He scored an unbeaten 65 as the pair knocked of the total in imperious fashion in only 23.4 overs leaving Reed easy 10 wicket winners with 19.2 overs to spare.

On a bright and sunny afternoon Reed were put in by the Exiles and soon lost Steve Lovegrove for 4. However the Father and Son combination of John and William Heslam set about building a sizeable Reed total. Heslam senior dealt virtually exclusively in boundaries with 8x4's in his 34 before he departed caught with the score at 93. William however carried on with yet another quality innings and achieved his 4th league 50 of the season before being caught for a fine 53. Richard Robertson played a quality and cultured innings of 58 not out and with 25 extras Reed declared early at 215 for 7 after 45 overs. After a delightful tea served in the open air from the Smiths Mobile Home due the pavilion being out of use due to an Art Exhibition the Exiles were never seriously in the hunt as Jim Allsopp 3-17 and Julien Fynn 2-27 kept them under constant pressure from the start. Alex West bowled a good 6 over spell of 2-22 whilst Jason Pallett 1-23 and Richard Robertson 1-23 also took a wicket apiece. Reduced to 10 men by an unfortunate injury in the field the Exiles totalled 116 all out leaving Reed clear and deserving victors by 99 runs.

Reed IIIs got their league season off to a flying start when they travelled to Letchworth V on Saturday.Captain Matt Bowles lost the toss and his team were asked to bat on a lively looking track, and lively it proved to be as variable bounce from the outset meant the Reed batsmen had to be watchful and wise in their shot selection. Openers Aidan Swain (29) and 14 year old William Heslam batted beautifully against the new ball, mixing good judgement with some excellent shot making to put on an opening stand of 88, before Swain was bowled.  Heslam (53) was not to be stopped however, and played some magnificent strokes on his way to a half century, outlining his promise as a batsman, an impressive feat given the difficult wicket. Reed’s batsmen continued to build good partnerships, with contributions from all who batted. Peter Baker (12) and Masseh Naeem put on nearly 50 together, and then skipper Bowles (43) and young keeper/batsman Sean Tidey (18) plundered a brutal 50 run partnership. Some lusty late blows from Richard Robertson (14 Not Out) and promising young all-rounder Kallum Ward (21 Not Out) then took Reeds score to 256-6 when Bowles declared the innings. A hugely impressive effort on what was a challenging pitch to bat on. In reply, Letchworth had no real answer to the strong Reed bowling attack, as Kallum Ward ((11-4-18-2) had opposing captain Gillham caught behind by keeper Sean Tidey in the 2nd Over after a peach of a ball that took the outside edge. The impressive Tidey then took a brilliant catch off of Rupert Martin (11-4-26-3) to reduce the visitors to 30-2. Martin then followed this up by dislodging the off stump of [...]

Reed III impressive start to the season was halted on Saturday after going down to a 3 wicket defeat to Knebworth Park V. Skipper Matt Bowles lost the toss and his side were asked to bat on what looked a very green and lively pitch. The in form William Heslam opened up with father John, and despite the excessive bounce the young Heslam looked in imperious form as he combined some excellent back foot shots with sensible leaves and a solid defence. The pair took the score to 20 before John Heslam was bowled by Mantle after attempting a drive. This brought about a collapse, as the Reed top order struggled to cope with the excessive bounce of the pitch. Paul and George Garrott both came and went to the impressive Mantle in quick succession, and they were followed by William Heslam (17), who was caught superbly off of the bowling of Johnson. This left Reed in a perilous position at 24-4, with skipper Bowles and Richard Robertson now at the crease. The pair batted sensibly, protecting their wickets well and steering Reed away from a disastrous score. Bowles (31) was looking set for a long stay in the middle, but then fell foul of the pitch as a ball kept low and beat his defences. Two more wickets fell as Kallum Ward and Graham Hazard went cheaply to leave the visitors staring down the barrel once more, but the combination of sensible and stylish batting from Robertson (34) and the brutal Jim Allsopp (19) lifted Reed into the batting points. However, Mantle’s 5 wickets and the cleaning up of the Reed tail meant the final score for the innings was a lowly 136. Knebworth [...]