Returning skipper Marcus Martin won the toss and decided to bat first on what looked like another good Reed wicket. Reed lost an early wicket with the score on just 5 and Eversholt looked like they might be able to make more inroads. Brothers Fergus and Marcus Martin started the innings again and soon started to find the boundaries. Opposition skipper Lawson had to leave the attack with a groin injury after 5.3 overs and was replaced by Ling. Fergus Martin was bowled for 15 when the score reached 68 in the 20th over. Reed reached the half way stage still just two down and Skipper Martin had passed fifty. With wickets in hand they could look to accelerate.
Martin was beginning to find the boundary regular and was well supported by Richard Johnson who scored a brisk 28. Martin was finally removed for 104 and the home side had moved to 168 for 4. Roddi Liebenberg joined Karl Ward and the pair didn’t hang around. With 13 overs left Reed were on 170 and they weren’t separated until they had put on 78 in just 8 overs. Liebenberg raced to 50 and with Michael Robertson who smashed a very quick 11, Reed declared at 260-5 in 50 overs. This gave the visitors 3 extra overs.
Reed knew it was going to be hard to get all 10 wickets on a very flat wicket, but how would the opposition go about chasing 261? Stockdale fell early for 4 when he was LBW to Rupert Martin. Tom Walsingham produced another excellent opening spell and deserved a wicket. We was replaced by off spinner Fergus Martin. Martin using many of the variations he can bowl, managed to remove the positive Garrott caught and bowled for 20. Fellow Martin was still toiling away at the other end and managed to remove Hyde for 5 after some fine glove work by Tim Tidey.
Fergus Martin then struck twice quickly to have Eversholt 76-5 by the time drinks came at 25 overs. Eversholt were never going to challenge Reed’s total by now, but wickets were hard to find. Skipper Martin began to shuffle his bowlers. Ward replaced Martin. Not to be outdone by his brothers Marcus came on to bowl. Ward and Martin both struck and when Richard Johnson removed Singleton for a duck, Reed had take 3 wickets for 1 run.
Skipper Lawson now came out to bat with a runner. The question now was, would the 9th pair try and get towards the batting points or try and hang on. The answer was no. The pair managed to get to the 50th over without much more alarm although Chiswick survived a hostile spell from Walsingham. 18 points for Reed and only 5 to Eversholt. It was just enough for Reed to hang to their lead at the top of Division 7.
