Reed 4s entertained Hatfield Hyde 3s at The Freman Oval last Saturday in their penultimate Home League fixture of the season. Hatfield Hyde won the toss and elected to bat.
Reed opened the bowling with Matt Giblin (9-2-23-1) and Jack Childs (7-0-48-0) &, the Hatfield Hyde openers set off quickly punishing any lose deliveries. The score had reached 27 before Giblin bowled Moorehouse for 15 with a ball that moved in. After twice being dropped early in his innings, the Hatfield Hyde skipper Johnson continued to accumulate runs partnered by Davies. Skipper Lloyd Bowman then brought Neil Haslam and Toby Emes into the attack and both immediate began to put pressure on the batsmen with accurate bowling and the runs began to dry up. With the score on 96-1, Davies tried one adventurous shot too many off of Emes and was bowled for 27. At the other end Haslam was bowling a tight line and length and the earlier free flowing batting of Hatfield Hyde was beginning to dry up. Skipper Johnson then suffered a pulled leg muscle attempting a quick single and this proved a turning point for the Reed bowlers. Haslam bowled him a short time later with an inswinging ball for 80, 140 for 3. Emes (10-0-36-2) continued to bamboozle the batsman and then took his second wicket as Bill Mansfield took a good catch in the deep, 152 for 4 and in the next over Whitton spooned a catch to Matt Giblin at mid-on off of Haslam (11-1-35-2) with no addition and Reed were now on top.
Singh and Malik threatened a mini revival but Malik fell to Martin Johnson (4-0-26-2) the score was now 179 for 6. Haslam gave way to Zac Conley and he and Johnson began to put heavy pressure on the remaining batsmen, both bowling tight lines in the final few overs. Hatfield Hyde stuttered to 200 before Conley (6-0-30-1) bowled Singh for 17 and Thake was run out following, a good piece of Reed fielding shortly afterwards. Johnson took his second wicket as Hatfield Hyde ended on 219 for 9 after the maximum 47 overs. Considering a good start maybe this was maybe at least 30 runs too short on a pitch good for batting.
Reed’s reply was started by Rhodri ‘grumpy’ Hughes, returning from his exploits in the 3s and the returning Bill Mansfield. The score had reached only 15 when Hughes fished at a wide ball from Thake and was caught by Whitton for 4. Enter Maaseh Naeem, and he wasted no time in launching an attack on the Hatfield Hyde bowlers. Any ball that was remotely off line was dispatched to the boundary with regularity. Mansfield joined into too as shots were played all around the pitch and was backed up by superb running between the wickets. The Hatfield Hyde Skipper continuously shuffled his pack of bowlers around but with no break-through as Reed began to sail above the run-rate. Naeem raced to his fifty and the partnership passed the 100 mark. Naeem was eventually caught for a marvellous 86 off of Singh, by this time he and Mansfield had put on 137 for the second wicket (152 for 2). If Hatfield Hyde scented a chance it soon evaporated as Zac Conley strode to the wicket. He joined Mansfield who reached his fifty shortly afterwards and the 220 target was looming into view. They were ruthless on every bowler and a 50 partnership soon came up as well as the 200. Mansfield fell for 80, with the score on 208. The returning opening bowler Whitton gave Hatfield Hyde two extra bowling points by taking the wickets of Johnson and George Adam in successive balls. However, this was a mere consolation as Conley (20 not out) and Skipper Bowman saw Reed home with 11.3 overs to spare.
With second placed Harpenden losing at Stevenage, Reed increased their leading average to a margin of five points. Next week is a visit to third placed Welwyn Garden City.
