Reed will return to Lord’s on 15th September after a nail biting Semi-Final win in the National Village Cup against Hampshire’s Sarisbury Athletic.
Electing to bat first, Sarisbury were indebted to their skipper Rawlins (63) who anchored the innings. At drinks the Hants. side were 84-2 and a score in excess of 200 beckoned.
However, Reed skipper Tom Greaves marshalled his bowling options well and he was rewarded with a personal return of 8-1-23-2, whilst Mitchell Cooper (1-43) bowled good lines. However, it was the reintroduction of Sean Tidey (4-45) that proved decisive. After discharging his wicket-keeping duties in the first 20 overs, the younger Tidey brother removed Journeaux who was set on 40 and combining with “deputy keeper” Rob Lankester for two stumping in successive Tidey overs it left Sarisbury on 195-8 from their 40 over quota. Possibly this was 30 runs short on the Reed wicket.
Reed lost Sean Tidey early when the score was 5, but Rob Lankester and Tom Greaves set about building a sound foundation. A mix up though led to Lankester being run out for 41 and when James Heslam fell in the next over, the hosts were 87-3 at drinks.
Greaves fell caught for 47 trying to clear the mid-wicket boundary to get his fifty and when Mike Catt soon followed, Reed were 104-5. Stuart Smith and Mitchell Cooper now set about rebuilding the innings. Striking the bad ball and running well between the wickets the two kept Reed in the game. 72 needed from the last ten overs.
Sarisbury though produced five tight overs leaving 42 required from 30 balls; the nerves were jangling. Smith and Cooper then began to hit out paticularly against wicket taker Josh Hill (2-53). The 37th over going for 19 runs proved decisive. Cooper hit the winning six which also brought up his personal half-century off 47 balls. He ended 52 not out with Smith 43 not out at the other end. Reed had pulled it off with 10 balls to spare and will now face Houghton Main from Yorkshire in the Lord’s Final.
Match Report submitted by Neil Haslam.
