What a day, what a result! Reed entered a young side representing a range of the club’s sides for The Keatley Cup’s reformed format. Reed’s six players were Joe Graves, Sean Tidey, Tom Walsingham, Rhodri Hughes, Rob Lankester and team skipper Marcus J.E. Baker.
The new format asked each side to bowl five overs, one over each from every fielder except the wicket-keeper. Reed fielded first in the first game against Thriplow and kept them to 42. Two wickets went to the deadly Rhodri Hughes and two stumpings and a run out to Baker with the gloves. Learning from what they had seen Reed saw that it was a slow and low pitch and that good running was more crucial to big hitting. Lankester and Tidey did the damage in chasing down the target easily.
In the second match against the talented Lord’s Taverners Buccaneers, Reed found themselves chasing a total of 64. It proved too much as Reed finished twenty runs short.
In the final round-robin encounter against hosts Royston CC, Reed openers Tidey and Lankester recorded a competition top score of 77 in their innings. More superb bowling restricted Royston and left them well short. This put Reed into the final.
Reed faced-up against the Lord’s Taverners Buccaneers in the final, who were by far the most talented side on show. Baker won the toss and inserted the opposition. Sean Tidey bowled a fantastic opening over which conceded very few runs. Walsingham, Hughes and Graves followed up with some more good bowling. Buccaneers struggled to reach the boundary whilst Reed’s energetic fielding restricted the running between the wickets.
Rob Lankester delivered a great last over which led to the Buccaneers posting what for them was a below par 56.
Lankester and Tidey sprang out of the traps with some big early runs. The Reed supporters thought that it would prove a cakewalk needing only 15 from the final two overs. However the important wicket of Tidey threw a cat amongst the pigeons. Baker, promoting himself up the order, ran well with Lankester before the youngster fell when looking to end things in boundaries. Incoming batsman Hughes put away a crucial boundary followed by a single. Needing two runs from the final two balls Baker missed a straight one and was bowled. Two from one needed. Walsingham played the last ball past the keeper as Reed and their supporters burst into celebration.
Marcus J.E. Baker proudly received the Keatley Cup on behalf of his side and Rob Lankester won the Player of day Trophy for his superb batting and bowling. The day was blessed with good weather and the reformed format proved successful with both players and supporters enjoying themselves. For Baker it was a great result because the Reed Sextet, (all home-grown former Colts), represented the club’s many teams and not just its first XI. Many of the Reed faithful were present and it was a huge advantage to have their support which was gratefully appreciated by the Reed players.
Report submitted by MJEB.
