The 2015 season started in epic fashion for the Sunday friendly XI with a hard fought victory for the hosts over annual rivals Woodcutters. The pleasant weather had drawn a big crowd with several club members bringing their young families to watch. Hopefully this tense tussle will inspire those youngsters to take up the sport.
The visiting captain had won the toss and inserted Reed. Veteran batsman Peter Baker and Rob Willoughby started proceedings with a promising opening stand. However, the introduction of the late arriving Bernedes proved devastating. Three cheap wickets fell leaving Reed struggling at 40 for 3. Baker was now batting with young Ben Mansfield. Together they stopped the collapse as Baker proved the perfect mentor and Mansfield a more than able partner. Despite only scoring 4, Mansfield had stood up to some difficult bowling at a pressured period of play.
However, the run out of Mansfield followed soon after by the loss of Baker for 33 meant Reed were back on un-even ground. Closing in on drinks Reed had still only made it to 60 with 5 wickets lost. For Marcus J.E. Baker it required a captain’s knock to get Reed to somewhere near a defendable total. To help him in this enterprise was Tom Walsingham, who was up to the challenge. Although boundaries were not easy to come by, singles were taken in abundance. Adding 66 M.J.E. Baker then fell to a smart catch for 41 trying to hit out. Walsingham (39*) held firm and took Reed to a final total of 166 for 8. Lloyd Bowman and Ed Kershaw had both added useful runs but ultimately sacrificed their wickets for the cause.
The winters are always a torture waiting not just the return of cricket but also Rosemary Collins teas. After the welcome break Reed set about defending what was generally thought to be a sub-par total.
Jack Caine coming up the hill started well, as he asked question of the batsmen straight away. Joe Graves too, looked threatening but it was Caine who took the first two wickets giving Reed an early advantage. However, things went wrong for Reed with the partnership between O’ Donovan and Bernedes. They unlike anybody else were able to find the rope frequently and fluently. Needing just 30 more runs with 8 wickets still in hand, things turned in Reeds favour. The steady hands of Rob Willoughby took the catch from Bernedes (57) off the bowling of Tom Walsingham who was now steaming in, he followed his breakthrough by also taking the wicket of O’Donovan (29).
Leg spinner Ed Kershaw then produced an impressive supporting performance to Walsingham as they ran through the middle order. Walsingham (4-28) took a further two whilst Kershaw also took a wicket for 28. Resistance from Carter however was still taking the visitors closer and closer to victory. Jack Tidey replaced Kershaw and Caine came back replacing Walsingham. Tidey’s pace was too much for the opposition as he took two.
It was becoming too close to call. Reed needed just the single wicket whilst Woodcutters needed less than ten. It proved a blue and gold day as Caine produced the goods to knock over the number 11’s off stump leaving Reed victors by just 6 runs.
