Reed lose by 35 runs Reed's league position slipped to joint second on Saturday with St. Albans IIs as they succumbed to a strong all round team performance by Letchworth IIs at Reed, and Redbourn built on their previous success. Electing to bowl first, Reed started poorly as G.Bishton (69) and R.Walsh (57) steered the visitors to a solid 105 for the first wicket. The wicket offered very little assistance to the fast bowlers, as only Peter Tidey (26-7-60-3) managed to make any inroads, along with spinner Chris Jackson (11-1-34-1) in his first league bowl of the season. In their 53 overs, Letchworth managed to rack up 191 for 6. Reed's response started positively as James Heslam (15) and Baz Curtis (14) managed to tame the bowling well until E.Morse (6-0-33-1) had Curtis caught at fine leg. Chris Jackson, in his best league knock of the season managed to hit a carefully grafted and patient 66 leading Reed well towards the required rate in conjunction with Tom Fulk (16). Once A.Jenkins (14-1-46-5) had Jackson stumped with his leg-spinners, the middle order yielded cheaply, and with added pressure on the tail to maintain a growing run rate, they too gave away their wickets needlessly. Reed eventually capitulated as the leg-spinner had Berks caught and bowled in the penultimate over of the day as they tried to bat out for the draw. Despite a second successive loss, on the back of a five game winning streak, Reed skipper, Simon Jackson, remained up-beat: "we have identified where we have gone wrong this past fortnight, and are working hard as a team to patch up the problem. All teams have tough periods, but we all see the recent losses [...]

Reed 1st XI continued their fine run of league form on Saturday, retaining their top position in Herts League division 3, by thrashing Northampton Exiles away by 8 wickets. Electing to field, Reed's bowling attack bowled tightly throughout restricting the home side to 78 all out off 52.2 overs. Michael Berks (10-2-16-1) made a crucial breakthrough in the twelfth over, with a spectacular one handed caught and bowled. The other opener, William Clarke (14-6-23-2) also made inroads, with a lengthy, but accurate, swing bowling spell. Exiles failed to gather any momentum, particularly when Reed's most experienced swing bowler, Peter Tidey (19-5-25-3), caused a run-drought in tandem with spinner Richard Jerome (9.2-4-8-3). Tom Fulk starred in the field with three tough catches and a sharp run-out to end their innings. Reed's response was typically sturdy as they reached the total in 27.2 overs for the loss of two wickets. Chris Jackson built a solid 22 before being bowled by L.Robertson (14-7-26-2), but it was Baz Curtis who was the core of the innings, as he grafted a patient 32 not out seeing Reed to their fourth successive League victory of the season. Simon Jackson, Reed's skipper, was delighted: "...once again, I'm thrilled with our team performance...we hope to carry this through to the National Village Cup as well. There's a buzz of excitement throughout the club as a result of our success to date in the League and Cup competition which is feeding our confidence" Reed 2nd XI was not as lucky, despite bowling Exiles' 2nd XI out for a paltry 61. Their chances of completing a fourth successive 60 point weekend for the club were scuppered by the weather, as rain forced a premature end [...]

Reed 1st XI kicked off their Division 3 Herts League campaign with a bang on Saturday by resoundingly crushing Northwood Town by 35 runs. Having lost the toss, Reed batted on a pitch which offered some extremely variable, almost dangerous, bounce. Northwood Town drew early blood as Doling (6-37) despatched James Heslam early, leaving them on 5-1. Chris Jackson (7) and Michael Curtis (21) managed to settle the ship, until Doling tore through the middle order by exploiting the bounce, reducing Reed to 49 for 7. Stuart Smith's 20 revived some respectability to the scorecard, but the tail were unable to support him, and after being questionably adjudged LBW, Reed's effort flopped to a disappointing 74 all out. Yet, with demons still in the pitch, and a formidable bowling attack which helped spearhead their promotion last season, Reed's skipper, Simon Jackson, was always confident that Reed could defend their total. His prediction proved correct as Reed took the field before tea and managed to exploit some of the variability that dogged their innings. William Clarke (1-12) removed their opener for a duck, but it was Reed stalwart, and leading league wicket taker Peter Tidey (5-19) who profited by bagging 3 wickets before tea, and a further 2 afterwards. He was partnered by Michael Berks (4-8), whose accuracy and venomous pace managed to also exploit the bounce. The Northwood men had no answer to Berks and Tidey, as they adopted a policy of attack. Several ambitious shots were cut short by sharp catches in the slips by Richard Jerome (on his league debut for the club), or on the boundary by James Heslam, Simon Jackson and Chris Jackson. The fielding superbly supported the bowlers to maintain [...]

Reed further strengthened their bid for the Division 3 title and promotion on Saturday, just one year after claiming the Division 4 crown, as they demolished Potton Town by 9 wickets away. Over running the oppositions with 22 overs to spare, Reed remain in poll position above 2nd placed Hertford IIs and 3rd placed St. Albans IIs, who are due to face each other next weekend. With St.Albans IIs losing away at Botany Bay, the chances of a Hertford/Reed promotion combo are reinforced. Potton demise began as soon as they elected to bat on a bowling friendly wicket with heavy cloud cover and muggy conditions. The Reed bowlers immediately had the hosts reduced to 0 for 1 after opener William Clarke (12-6-27-3) struck in his first over. Despite some emergency work by N.Gradall (10) and A.Webb (14) stabilising the situation, Potton were in dire straits after Michael Berks (13-3-32-2) bowled the former with an unplayable delivery in a spell which was marked by tireless consistency in oppressive conditions. Clarke then succeeded in removing the latter thanks to a magnificent one-handed diving catch by wicket keeper Stuart Smith. The second round of bowlers then assumed the mantle of responsibility, as Richard Jerome (12-0-35-3), once again bowling with canny flight, managed to snare the top-scorer, M.Waker (33), at mid-on along with two other Potton men. Ever-reliant Reed war-horse, Peter Tidey (16-5-43-1), picked up a single wicket to leave the hosts floundering on 143 for 9 off their 53 overs. Chris Jackson ended the innings with three catches. Potton never threatened to raise the run rate above that which was achieved, and their attempts to accelerate it resulted in poorly executed shots from which Reed took their opportunities. [...]

Reed win by 9 wickets Reed won one of their most important fixtures of the league season on Saturday as they thrashed second placed Redbourn by a staggering 9 wickets, placing them third in the league, and also giving the opposition a mere 1 point. Despite losing the toss, skipper Simon Jackson was confident that his side could bowl out Redbourn on a dry, batting friendly wicket in hot conditions. His prediction was proved correct as the home side skittled the opposition for a mere 52. Michael Berks (10-2-20-3) again starred with the ball taking two key top-order wickets on non-favourable bowling. William Clarke (7-3-17-1) also removed the top scorer G.Tookey (25), but the afternoon was particularly dominated by Berks and Peter Tidey (4-0-9-3) who tore through the middle order with his unplayable inswingers and variation. The rest was regulation work for Reed who knocked off their total for the loss of only 1 wicket in 14.2 overs. Tom Fulk (14*) again showed excellent patience with the bat in conjunction with Chris Jackson (19*), who ended the match with a blistering straight six, to ensure Reed captured their full points quota, and boosting their promotion drive. Simon Jackson was delighted following the match: “this is a clear sign that Reed are moving back into League form, with both first and second teams, which was also particularly shown by our Keatley Cup win over Royston last Tuesday too. Hopefully this is the trend of things to come” Reed are due to face Bishop's Stortford IIs on Saturday.

Despite threatening clouds over north Hertfordshire, Reed 1st XI were the only team to squeeze in their Saturday Herts League fixture in Division 3. The weather failed to dampen the spirits of the league leaders as they notched up a third successive victory over Rickmansworth thanks to match-ball sponsorship by Hardcastle Burton Chartered Accountants of Royston. Reed's slightly depleted side lost the toss, but still managed to dismiss Rickmansworth for a meagre 71 in 33 overs. As league new-comers, Reed's bowling attack have not been hit for more than 166 runs cumulatively in the first three league matches, and their form shone through, as Michael Berks (4-19), the pick of the Reed bowlers, dismissed the top-order typically cheaply, thanks to some deft catches by skipper, Simon Jackson behind the stumps. William Clarke (3-35) and Richard Jerome (3-4) shared the other wickets, particularly thanks to 2 sharp slip catches from Michael Curtis. In reply, Reed battled against both the bowling and incoming clouds in their quest for victory. Michael Curtis (12) and Simon Jackson (5) were out with the score on 21 to Chris Carter (1-25) and N. Davies (1-28) respectively, but some concentration and application by Chris Jackson (20*) and Richard Jerome (35*) ensured that the game was finalised by tea at 4.30pm in 16 overs. The rain then settled in for the afternoon at 4.45pm . Saturday's win marked the third successive league weekend where Reed 1st XI and 2nd XI have registered maximum points placing them both top of Divisions 3 and 8 respectively. The total wash-out of each division meant that they now hold a comfortable points advantage with second place. The club continues its run of fortune as it remains unbeaten [...]

Reed cruised to an easy win over Royston at the heath on Saturday. Batting first, Reed were a class above Royston, with James Heslam making easy working of the Royston attack, hitting a fine 100. Chris Jackson (66 not out) and Richard Jerome (53 not out) then steered Reed to amass a total of 255 - 2 in their 40 overs. In reply, Royston were always struggling to deal with Reeds bowling attack and failed to match the required run rate. As wickets fell so did Roystons chances of winning, and saw them being bowled out for just 98, with Pete Tidey the pick of Reeds bowlers picking up 3 for 24.

Reed 1st XI managed to clinch a 16 point draw against Southgate Adelaide on Saturday in Herts League Division 3, seeing them slip to fourth position. Winning the toss on a dry wicket with underlying moisture, Reed elected to bat. A solid 21 from Baz Curtis, and another grafted 88 from Chris Jackson (his third 50 in three weeks) saw Reed to 194 all out in 51.1 overs. All batsmen chipped in to support the sublime Jackson, but the team lost their momentum after he was dismissed to a contentious edge behind, failing to clinch the maximum available batting points. Daniel Fitzpatrick (15-2-67-3) managed to pick up 3 wickets in a pacey, if wayward spell, in conjunction with spinner A.Morris (15.1-3-45-3), who bowled with superb flight and accuracy. Reed managed to pinch an early wicket thanks to Peter Tidey (16-2-49-2) with the old ball, whilst Richard Jerome (13-4-14-0) bowled a tight spell at the other end to peg the visitors back to 38 runs off their first 20 overs. Once the patient 42 by D.Whiteing was ended by Clarke, and skipper T.Grover ran himself out, the game looked firmly in Reed's hands. This was further consolidated when Michael Berks came back for his second spell with a bang by taking 4 wickets in quick succession to leave the visitors on the rack at 137-8. This follows up his five wicket haul last week. But the effort came too late as Reed were unable to take the final two wickets, leaving Southgate Adelaide on 147-8 in their 48 overs.

Reed administered a crushing blow over unbeaten Herts league leaders, Hertford IIs, on Saturday, as they trounced them by 8 wickets, demoting them to third, and raising Reed to the helm. The one sided contest began positively for Hertford as they won the toss, and elected to bat on Reed's batting friendly wicket, but openers William Clarke (12-5-28-2) and Michael Berks (8-2-18-1) soon changed the game as they removed the top three cheaply. Reed talisman Peter Tidey (15-5-42-2), and Richard Jerome (14-6-28-3) sailed through the middle order, thanks to two sharp catches and a direct hit run-out opportunity by Clarke, exposing the Hertford tail. With the score on 139-9 after their 53 overs, the target was well within Reed's sight. However, Hertford's reply with the ball was typically tight, as left armed spinners J.James (14-4-41-1) and S.Hansill (12-4-28-0) managed to removed opener James Heslam LBW 14 leaving the hosts on 16-1. This brought Clarke (45), promoted from number 9 to 3 in the absence of regular Chris Jackson, to the crease. Combined with Tom Fulk (70*), they very patiently stabilised the innings, by seeing off the spinners and then forging a 112 run partnership marked by exquisite drives and pull strokes, to guide Reed to 128 before Clarke was unlucky to depart to a streaky edge. Reed skipper Simon Jackson said: "This match showed we have the class to play Division 2. We not only picked up 30 points against the League's only unbeaten side, but kept them to only 2. As a captain I couldn't have dreamt of anything better."

Reed's promotion push was maintained on a sweltering day at Hatfield, as they registered a resounding 9 wicket victory over struggling Hatfield in 35 degree heat. The win maintains their second place position, as both 3rd and 1st placed St Albans IIs and Hertford IIs managed to sneak victories in their games. Despite losing the toss and being forced to field, Reed made the most of any pitch movement with a dream start, as their openers William Clarke (11-2-36-3) and Richard Johnson (5-2-13-1) removed the opening pair between them. Clarke continued as he sharply sent the number three back to the pavilion leaving Hatfield reeling on 16 for 3. Despite some resistance from M.Golder (29), Reed veteran Peter Tidey (9.5-1-35-4) took two crucial mid-order wickets to maintain the momentum for the visitors. Bowling in conjunction with Richard Jerome (1-4-3-2), who bamboozled the Hatfield with his variations in flight and pace, the Reed men managed to finally dismiss the hosts for a paltry 89 in just 32.5 overs. With the prospect of defending such a small total, the Hatfield bowlers started positively by dismissing Tom Fulk (4) with the score on 12, but James Heslam's chanceless knock of 64*, his second half century in as many weeks, supported by Chris Jackson (19*), saw Reed overpower the opposition in only15.5 overs. Reed are due to host league leaders Hertford IIs next week in possibly the most important league match of the season, as they try to strengthen their promotional bid to Division 2, and create a gulf between them and 3rd place. Simon Jackson, Reed 1XI skipper and club captain, remained upbeat: "we have the players to win, and with our opening bowler Michael Berks back, we [...]