Jack Childs and Tom Nussey, opening for Reed, made a steady start having been inserted by the visiting Camden. Getting a read for both the pitch and the opening bowlers they looked to settle in. However, Childs (14) played down the wrong line to one with the score on 25. Nussey (12) meanwhile was looking confident on the front foot before an edge found the waiting hands of first slip. Another few cheap wickets left Reed struggling on 61 for 4.
Things were however about to dramatically swing back into Reed’s favour. Tom Walsingham came to join George Garrott out in the middle and the pair combined quick running and boundary hitting to make an innings saving 82 in just 10 overs. With now the potential of a big score it was disappointing to lose both Walsingham (56) and Garrott (46) in successive deliveries. None the less it was their efforts that gave the incoming Rob Lankester and Marcus J.E. Baker a platform to work from.
Lankester was in a class of his own. Dispatching his first ball for six he followed in the same vein smashing 7 sixes and 7 fours in his 32-ball 76. Baker meanwhile played a more conservative innings trying to give as much of the strike to Lankester as he could. Together they put on 100 in 10 overs before Lankester struck out to long off.
Joe Graves (28) came to the wicket and continued his season-long good form with the bat patiently waiting for the right ball to smash. Baker upped his tempo and reached 52 whilst the Reed innings came to an end on 301 all out.
In the second innings very attacking fields did not prove as fruitful as M.J.E. Baker had hoped and the game was opened up with Camden keeping up with the required run rate. Neil Haslam finally made the breakthrough claiming two in an over. After that Garrott (2-28), Sam Rice (3-49) and Walsingham (3-30) chipped away at the opposition who themselves must be credited with giving it a good chase ending on 200 all out.
Report submitted by MJEB.
