Lily Hall is fast becoming a force to be reckoned with… a silent assassin with bat and ball.
Reed won the toss and chose to field first….
The opening bowling pairing of Daniel Vincent (3 overs, 0 maidens, 0 wickets, 14 runs) and Eddie Cook (3-0-0-17) had to work hard against a strong headwind and did well to keep the batsmen honest, conceding 34 runs off the first 6 overs. It was 1st change bowler, Josh Heslam (a last minute replacement for Tom Green) who demonstrated the power of a straight delivery… His low, skiddy, deliveries getting the better of the opposition – finishing 3-0-1-7. Callum Ricketts came on for a single over to stem the runs, taking the wicket of the opening batsman in the process. With St. Margaretsbury at 2 for 50 in 9 overs, the game was in danger of getting away from Reed.
It was then that the silent assassin (Lily Hall) got hold of the cherry and showed the boys what girl power really was…. As has happened so often this season, Lily was underestimated by the opposition. Following in Josh’s footsteps and keeping bowling simple, Lily was just unstoppable. Eddie Cook took a superb catch off Lily’s second ball; and her spell (3-1-3-6) included an incredible caught/bowled and a wicket maiden… the game was back on…. 76-5 off 16.
Runs dried up for the opposition after Lilly’s spell and St. Margaretsbury finished on 93 for 5. Reed’s bowling had improved immeasurably over the previous week and limited the opposition to less than 100 for the first time this season.
The opening pairing of Callum Ricketts and Oscar Lamb were slow but steady… The early loss of Oscar Lamb (0) was a blow to moral, but allowed the inexperienced Charlie Hawker to come to the crease and perform a passable impression of Geoffrey Boycott – Seeing out the opening bowlers, before succumbing to a straight ball… Young Sam Dawson arrived with the confidence that can only be gained with a shiny new bat – which was quickly used to great effect to block out the bowling. With the cherries accumulating, a rush of blood to the head led to an untimely run out. And brought Lilly into the middle to (yet again) show the boys how it’s done. Scoring Reed’s 1st boundary off her second ball, a renewed urgency was instilled into Reed’s batting. After a plethora of wayward deliveries, Lily finally succumbed to a looping ball which took middle stump. Lily returned to the pavillion with 6 runs off 13 deliveries and a big smile. Opening Batsman Callum Ricketts retired on 30. Reed needed a miracle – with Eddie Cooke and Daniel Vincent at the crease for the final 2 overs, needing 21 to win. With Daniel in the mood to score, it was almost on the cards. Scoring 14 off 8 balls left Reed agonisingly short again. Daniel’s massive 6 on the last ball proving not quite enough to save the day.. Reed were 3 runs short. Until next time…
Match report submitted by Lee Vincent.
