With the League season just one week away, Reed Seconds travelled to Wardown Park to face fellow Division 3B team Lutonian in a 40 over friendly.
Batting first on a chilly day Reed openers Richard Barlow and Max Sanderson started positively. They took the score to 41 before Sanderson mistimed a ball to be dismissed for 19. Last week’s batting hero Chris Jackson continued in a similar vein before being bowled by H. Khan for 12. Barlow despite batting with a back injury looked certain for his fifty but it was H. Khan again who picked up his wicket for 40, Marcus Martin fell with the score still on 75. Lutonian’s spinners began to put the squeeze on, and wickets began to fall at regular intervals. Skipper Ed Garrott led the resistance with a 41 ball 27. However after he was out the last wickets fell cheaply and they were out for 115 in the 37th over.
Reed’s bowlers were soon amongst the Lutonian batting when Julien Fynn (6-1-21-2) bowled Essa for 2 with the score on 9 in just the 3rd over. He followed that up with a second soon after as Z.Khan was caught by skipper Garrott with the score on 19. When Owen Hughes (6-0-31-1) bowled the skipper Awais 4 runs later, Reed sensed an opening. However this brought Walayat to the crease and he seemed very much in a hurry. Reed’s bowlers had no answer and he raced to a 25-ball fifty. Reed did take two more wickets Sam Osborne the taker, but Lutonian clinched victory in the 20th over.
Match report submitted by Neil Haslam.
