Reed Fourths travelled to Hitchin Boys’ School to meet Letchworth Fifths. With only eight players after late withdrawals, Skipper Lloyd Bowman won the toss and asked the hosts to bat on an oppressively hot day.
Reed opened with Neil Haslam and Martin Johnson and it was Haslam who took the first wicket of J Cruttenden with a ball that cutback to hit middle stump. This brought Robert to the wicket to join Harry Cruttenden and they made the most of the gaps in the field and the run rate increased significantly. Haslam and Johnson made way for Harry Hawes (4-0-44-0) and Jake Gifford (4-0-47-0) whose figures disguised exactly how much effort they expended, in extreme conditions.
Both Cruttenden and Robert passed their fifties and an enormous total was on the cards. Kieran McKinna’s spell of 6-0-33-0 helped put the brakes on for several overs but Cruttenden reached a deserved century. Shortly after Mike Hubbard (4-0-42-1) forced him to drag the ball onto his stumps for 105. Bowman gave the wicket keeping pads to Benj Mansfield and dismissed Robert for 92. He snatched a second wicket (7-0-64-2) that of Bridges for 28. Letchworth continued to accumulate runs with K Knoland and J Knoland, Johnson returned and had figures of 8-1-46-0 and Haslam bowled J Knoland with the last ball of the innings to return figures of 7-0-63-2. Letchworth scored 352-5 in their 40 Overs.
Reed looked to Johnson and McKinna to set a good start. However McKinna fell for just 2 to a ball that kept low. Benj Mansfield and Jake Gifford fell in a similar way and at 16 for 3 the omens weren’t good.Hubbard & Johnson rebuilt the reply. Johnson with his good driving and Hubbard with his nurdles to legside. The pair put on fifty before Hubbard was bowled for 17. Johnson followed soon after for a hard worked 44. Harry Hawes dug deep and held out for several overs with skipper Bowman before falling lbw. Bowman was the final wicket to fall for 11. 85 All Out. Reed picked up 6 points.
Report submitted by Neil Haslam.
