Sundays for Reed re-started for the 2016 season on a cold, grey afternoon in late April. Reed had travelled down to beautiful Preston for the annual pre-season friendly. Marcus J.E. Baker asked his hosts to bat as his side started the process of blowing the cobwebs out of the system.
Things did not start well for Reed as Mercer and Anderson attacked the uncertain opening overs of Joe Graves and Owen Hughes. Preston were racing along at 10 an over and a long, cold, miserable afternoon in the field was looking likely. However, much to their credit both Graves and Hughes showed some real character and kept charging in. The pair started to find some troubling lines and before long the runs were starting to dry up. Baker decided to save some of Hughes’s overs for later in the piece so replaced him in the tenth over with Jack Childs. The change seemed to work as Childs made the breakthrough with the score on 77 thanks to a catch by Ed Garrott.
Joe Graves meanwhile was replaced by Garrott. The dramatic fight back shown by Graves meant he had ended up bowling through his full quota of overs, unluckily wicket less. Childs persisted with his fantastic spell taking regular wickets, Preston’s strong batting order was faltering. Needing a wicket from his final over to finish with five to his name he left it to the last ball when a clean pull shot was plucked from the air by Baker. Removing the opposition top 5 for 32 is never a bad way to start the season.
Baker then join Garrott in sending spin down at the lower order batsman. Both took wickets but Garrott in particular (3-23) bowled a very tight line. Hughes returned and took the final wicket with the hosts having been restricted to 175, a top effort considering well over 250 was on the cards at one point.
It was still cold and miserable but the players were greeted by a very pleasant surprise of warm soup at tea. However, from the high point of warm soup things started to unravel for Reed. A rather timid and weak display with the bat followed. Only Ed Garrott, (88) playing an impressive knock and Bill Mansfield (21) made it into double figures. Their efforts were not enough and Reed finished well short on 127. Never the less, the game full filled its mandate of kicking the season off and getting some fresh air into our lungs.
Report submitted by MJEB.
