Utilising their membership of the Club Cricket Conference for the third successive week, Reed’s Sunday Friendly XI were paired-off with visitors Harrow St. Mary’s who were willing to make the journey from the north-west area of London. Played on the fairly docile pitch at Reed Village Green, the opening flurry went to HSM’s Australian player but in Matt Giblin’s second over, both openers perished in identical fashion by being caught at mid-on by the dependable Ollie Mansfield.
HSM rebuilt their innings but two further wickets saw them at 58 for 4 in the fifteenth over after the Two Jacks, Childs and Tidey, had claimed one apiece. Tidey, skippering the side in the absence of “Mario” Baker, kept the scorers busy by alternating the eight bowlers at his disposal in short spells. At the halfway stage, the score was 101 for 4, but the fifth wicket partnership gained momentum and accelerated the scoring rate.
Tidey, having been at reduced pace in his earlier spell, eventually returned to the attack and bowled more aggressively extracting extra bounce and doing enough to clip the bails of top-scorer, Louw, (87), to break the partnership after 122 had been added in only 14 overs. After that, Reed managed to restrict the run-rate somewhat and the younger bowlers tasted success with Tom Nussey taking 2 for 16 and Ollie Mansfield 1 for 31. Matt Yates had bowled a testing spell of gentle seamers but was unlucky not to take a wicket. In addition to Mansfield’s two catches, Richard Johnson safely pouched two catches at mid-off before Tom Nussey caught one at mid wicket in the last over as Harrow St. Mary’s closed their innings at 243 for 8. A. Prevost was 58 not out. Many potential scoring shots had been intercepted as the home-side’s fielders were kept busy and their groundwork was generally very good with everyone involved.
The evening session saw Peter Baker and Richard Johnson beginning the Reed reply. Johnson went early, caught at gully, when one delivery seemed to climb at him. Craig Brown, (9), found the boundary a couple times easily enough, but one snuck through to his stumps leaving Reed at 29 for 2. Rhodri Hughes joined Baker and comfortably they partnered each other making a further 50 runs. Unfortunately, Baker missed a “grubber” that spun back on its second bounce and was bowled for 33.
The strategy of captain Tidey to enter the fray at number 5 and assault the bowing didn’t come to fruition as he was caught before he had got going and Peter Nussey fell soon after, just failing to make safe ground attempting to run a two. Remarkably Tom Nussey got off the mark with a five courtesy of the fielders and went on to reach double figures. Meanwhile Rhodri Hughes continued at the other end without being in any particular sort of trouble and after a clatter of wickets, found support from the i mproved Jack Childs and moved into the forties. Childs was caught for 13 with Hughes still short of his personal half-century. Number 11, Ollie Mansfield, defended well whilst batting at the eastern end of the pitch with both he and the wicket-keeper virtually unsighted when the bowler directed some high floaters out of the blinding sunset. Hughes scampered a couple of twos in the next over to reach his fifty before being caught soon afterwards as Reed were all-out for 146, some 97 runs behind their visitors’ score.
