The early 1st Xl abandonment meant a significant boost to the crowd watching the 2nd Xl at Reed, and also to the bar profits! The 2nds had to chase down the 179-9 set by Potters Bar 3rds in a rain reduced 44 overs, and after an early scare when we lost 3 quick wickets, Ed Garrott and Stuart Smith both produced quality innings, each rewarded with a half century, and the required total was reached in only 27 overs. The threatening skies were then incredibly replaced with bright sunshine as the sun shone on the righteous and the 30 points that took the 2nds into 2nd place in the league table were celebrated. By this stage the crowd in the clubhouse had been swelled by our returning 3rd Xl, back up the road from our second ground. carrying another 30 points from an emphatic 10 wicket win over Cockfosters 3rds that took us to the top of Division 9. The high spirited gathering was completed by the arrival of an advance party of our 4th Xl hotfoot from Welwyn with news of a second successive 30 Points haul for our 4th Xl (this time achieved ON the field of play!). The 4ths had also beaten the weather and Welwyn V by a comfortable 7 wickets.
Sunday saw a far from full strength Reed Sunday Xl take on Gravely in the North Herts League. Having batted first and set a “par 40 over total” of 225 all out on the tiny Gravely ground, our boys regrettably proved unable to defend that total, but only went down in the most narrow of circumstances, losing off the 3rd last ball of the final over, with the opposition 9 wickets down! An exciting match but not good for the promotion prospects.
Elsewhere on Sunday there was national Village Cup action! Wheathampstead who knocked us out 2 rounds previously had progressed to the Herts and Beds Final, and on Sunday they proceeded into the National Rounds by beating this years struggling Division 1 opponents Langleybury by 4 wickets. Meanwhile over in “Group 29” a unique and surely unsatisfactory state of affairs was displayed. Group 29 is the Cambridgeshire and Norfolk (??!!) Group. Our local rivals and good friends (these days!) from Foxton play in that group. However, inspection of that “Group” shows that ONLY 6 CLUBs entered the competition from the 2 x Counties – AND NONE AT ALL FROM NORFOLK!! Only 3 matches were actually played in the entire group before the outcome of Group 29 was that Fordham CONCEEDED the FINAL (!?) to Foxton who now go through to the National Knock Out Stages.
In youth County Cricket Norfolk have been very strong in recent years, and many a touring side heads for Norfolk – but what on earth is going on when not a single Village Cricket Team in a once proud Cricketing County can be bothered to enter a National Competition which offers the prospect of a final at Lords? The Norfolk County Cricket Association ought to be thoroughly ashamed!! Should the Competition organisers not be looking at re-balancing / redefining the Groups, or at the very least actively seeking to promote the NVC Competition in that county?
Norfolk may be deemed a sleepy/slow-paced county but it’s about time they woke up!
In the meantime – good luck to Foxton. We had a great inter-county stage match with them last year, a super match played in a good spirit, and with a sizeable crowd enjoying a yo-yo match, watching together with great camaraderie. Several members of the Foxton Club thereafter followed Reed to every other match we played in the competition, including far-flung Plumpton and Goatacre, and of course Lords! Go for it guys – maybe as a “Foxton” resident I can still go to Lords NVC Final, with a vested interest, 2 years in a row!!!
(This Weekly column is written by John Heslam Club Chairman of Reed Cricket Club. The views expressed in the article are his own and do not necessarily comprise those of the Clubs General Committee)
