Reed failed to maintain their 100% Hertfordshire league record when they failed to overcome a strong County Hall side. Reed welcomed the return of veteran swing bowler Peter Tidey after a short return for "Uncle Pete" to Steeple Morden. Dropped catches were the order of the day for Reed with Jackson (Chris not Simon this time!) dropping 2, Heslam 1 and even Steve Dunn with gloves on dropped one. Tidey staked his claim for a regular first team place with a spell of tight bowling and devastating swing which saw him finish with figures of 5 for 41 with Reed restricting the home side to 181 For 9. Other notable performances were Michael "3 attempts to bowl 1 delivery" Berks and Ben "Im not gonna juggle one again" Bowles who finally became the first player to finally make a catch. I also believe some catches were caught when the ball was being thrown back to the bowler but there wasnt many. In reply Baz Curtis got Reed off to a customary good start before wickets started to tumble. Reed`s middle order gave little support to Curtis who eventually was out for 42. Poor shot selection was to blame for Reed`s batting collapse aided by their persistence to chase the opposing total. Australian quickie Bruce "I think Ill clean up Tidey first ball, after what has come before him" Johnston picked up 6 for 27 and was the pick of the County Hall bowlers. However all-rounder Tidey became the crowd pleaser stepping down the wicket on numerous occassions to the Aussie. Reed were eventually bowled out for 100 leaving captain Simon Jackson bewildered by his sides collapse. More concern for Reed has got to be captain [...]

Reed cruised to victory on Saturday against Hatfield Hyde thanks to inspired batting from James Heslam and Chris Jackson. Bowling first Reed got off so a superb start with Will Clarke cleaning up 2 of the Hatfield batsman in consecutive balls in his 2nd over. However McCann and Somani put on 135 for the 3rd wicket to put Reed back on the back foot. With Jackson bowling a marathon spell of 18 overs (2 for 60) of tight slow bowling and Richard Johnson bowling tightly from the other end meant that Hatfield Hyde had to attack and the reintroduction of Clarke (6 for 47) saw Reed bowl out the opposition of 218. In reply Reed got of to a pacy start with Baz Curtis scored 26 off 8 overs before falling with the score on 26. However this bought to the wicket the in form Chris Jackson to bat alongside James Heslam. With both batsmen looking in no trouble, they started to stroke the attack to all corners of the ground. With both batsman passing 50 without offering any chances to the opposition Reed looked in a solid position. Jackson went for 58 and Heslam went shortly after for 82. However with Reed only needing 38 to win Johnson and Stuart Smith, who in doing so scored their first league runs of the season saw Reed home with 7 overs to spare.

Reed cruised to a league victory in the first game of the 2001 season. With no second team game, Reed bought in the senior players from the 2s to add some experience to the side however it was Reeds youngsters that stole the show. After losing the toss, Reed got off to a solid start with Baz Curtis and 18 years old James Heslam putting on 66 for the first wicket be for Baz played one slog to many! This bought in the returning, globetrotting Chris Jackson to put together a partnership with Kipper Heslam. Kipper stroked the ball elegantly all around the ground in reaching his fifty which was bought up with a huge six over mid-wicket. Kipper then excelerated to the 90s be for finally completing his first ever league ton for Reed 1st team. However the ball after reaching the milestone, Kipper was caught on the boundary by an excellant catch. The 113 partnership had put Reed onto 179 for 2 in the 39th over. Wickets continued to fall and the final score of 219 for 5 off 51 overs flattered Holtwhites as Reed had dominated the innings. In reply Holtwhites got off to a slow start thanks to tight bowling from 18 year old Michael Berks and old boy Ian Roberts. Reed fielded well and with tight bowling Holtwhites were never going to win the game however Reed had to get all ten wickets. Then stepped up Berksie for his second spell and ripped through the middle order of Holtwhites, with able support from the other bowlers. Berksie finished with 5 for 9 off 14 overs b4 2nd team vice captain Richard Robertson took the final wicket with 3 overs to [...]

Reed’s hopes of achieving promotion to Herts League Division Three took a massive blow on Saturday as they were robbed of victory at fellow promotion contenders Botany Bay by rain. With Reed chasing a target of 219 to win in 47 overs they were very well placed at 182-2 when the heavens opened. Although play continued for a while after the rain had begun the situation worsened and despite both captains agreeing to continue the umpires decided that the conditions were unplayable. This left Reed with just 8 points from the game, less than if it had been rained off at 1.00pm Botany Bay amassed 219 despite a good all-round bowling and fielding display by Reed. Missing key bowlers Berks and Tidey as well as spin option Chris Jackson it was always going to be a struggle but Heslam, Costen and Saunders supported the remaining senior bowlers, Johnson and Clarke well. Johnson was probably the pick of the bowlers taking 2-35 off 10 overs. In reply, Reed had an excellent start and the partnership of 164 between Heslam and Curtis in 31 overs and looked set to lead Reed to a comfortable victory. Although Heslam and Curtis departed for 94 and 63 respectively needing only 38 more runs to win in 12 overs with 8 wickets in hand Reed looked very well set. Curtis was in particularly fine form smashing Botany Bays attack to all parts whilst Heslam played a controlled innings in support of his fellow opener. However, it was not to be and thanks to the weather Reed are likely to have to win all 3 remaining games to stand any chance of promotion.

Reed deservedly gained 30 points with an exciting win away at Boxmoor on Saturday. Being put into bat by the home side, Reed, with 4 of their normal top 5 missing, got off to worst possible start losing opener Paul Watts early on. In came the prolific Chris Jackson to the crease where him and his brother Simon caressed the ball to all ends of the ground. The Boxmoor attack had no answer to the shot selection and shear power of the Jackson brothers, which saw them putting together a second wicket partnership of 148. Simon was first to fall for 61 and was later followed by Chris for 81. Boxmoor then turned the heat up and skittled through Reed`s depleted batting line-up. Set a total of 187 the game was ideally placed for Boxmoor to chase. On a lively wicket the pace of Clarke and Berks was too much for the Boxmoor early order batmen. Positioned at 120 for 4 Boxmoor were well in chase for victory. But three quick wickets from Peter Costen turned the game and halted Boxmoors progress. Needing 25 runs to win with 3 wickets remaining Reed turned the screw to complete their second straight win with a number of key players missing.

Reed lost at home to local rivals Braughing on Saturday. After winning the toss and batting first Reed got off to another poor start finding themselves 20 for 3. However this bought together the Jackson brothers Chris and Simon. Some solid defence from Simon and good shots from Chris saw Reed to a healthier position of 64 until Simon was unlucky to be out LBW after dancing down the wicket. Chris was joined by Peter Costen making his league debut for the 2001 season however despite a few good blows saw Costen being the first of 4 wickets Reed lost in the 90s. However this only bought in the ever-dependable Steve Dunn. Jackson and Dunn put on 54 for the 9th wicket before Dunn was run out of the last ball of the innings trying to run a bye with the ball in the keepers hands! Reed got of to the acustomary good reply against Braughing with Michael Berks getting Radbourne out 3rd ball of the innings however this bought in ex-Reed colt Chris Chambers with the hard hitting Banks. Chambers rode his luck early on however the 2 batsman saw Braughing race to 80 for 1. However old warhorse Pete Tidey and slow bowler Chris Jackson saw Reed get back into the game. Tidey bowled tightly in a 17 over spell seeing him take 3 for 35 and give Reed a sight of victory. However a fine 8th wicket partnership saw Braughing to the maximum 30 points. The thoughts to ponder after the game must be; - where did Braughing get the bloke in the white coat who could easily have shouted "HELLLLLLLLLO, Im on the cricket field!!!!!!!!!!!!" - why the captain has to [...]

Reed got back to winning ways last weekend against league rivals Claredon. Reed fielding 7 players under 20 were always going to find it tough playing a team 2 places higher than them in the division 4 table. They weren’t helped by losing a vital toss and being put into bat. A shower just before the start had made the wicket very skiddy. Baz Curtis and James Heslam put on 32 for the first wicket before Curtis became the first of Wise’s five wickets. William Clarke and Stuart Smith soon follow each scoring 2. James Heslam looked in control, but was bowled for 36 and Reed were deep in trouble. Andrew Emms batting at six decided to show some aggression against Wise, hitting the left arm spinner for two huge six’s with minimum effort!! Peter Costen showed equal aggression smashing 27, but when they both went Reed crumbled and were all out for 130. Reed needed early wickets and despite beating the bat on numerous occassions nothing went for the home side. Clarendon were making good if not quick progress, but with 57 overs to reach their total it wasn’t a problem. Michael Berks replaced William Clarke and immediately got a break through. By the end of his seven over spell he had 4 wickets and Reed has a chance. Wise had other ideas and was smashing anything lose. William Clarke now back on up the hill switched to around the wicket and first ball had wise caught for 38. Clarke came out of Berks shadow and took 4 more wickets in his 18 overs for just 46 runs. The run rate slowed to a trickle, but Caldicott was proving hard to shift and Wess [...]

Reed lost by 5 wickets on Saturday againt Old Haberdashers despite winning the toss and deciding to bat. Old H's lost the toss despite using a bowler to TOSS due to their captains inability to PERFORM FOR THE TEAM. The wicket was OK, the outfield was @#%£ and the sight screens were smaller than my.......... garage door. No wonder they were refused permission to go up last year due to their facilities. Reed got off to the worst possible start losing their prolific batting line up of Curtis, Heslam and Chris Jackson with only 22 runs on the board. Reed offered no resistance to the unpredictability of the pitch and only Simon Jackson and Ben Bowles of the batsman showed any way of seeing off the Old H's bowlers. With the Old H's attack going through Reed batsman like a hot knife through butter only Reed fast bowler Michael Berks showed he knew which end of the bat to hold. Berksie came to the wicket and managed to outperform all the "batsman" and top score with 17. Reed finished on 85 which was far less than even the poor facilities deserved. In reply Reed got off to a good start and managed to get Old H's on the back foot. Berksie (as bowler) with 3 for 16 was the star of show in his early spell and had H's on 41 for 5. However ex-England Universities batsman Bajuki and Mir saw the home side through to see Reed lose their second game of the season. Reed skipper Simon Jackson was not happy with the batting display however was encouraged with the fielding display. "Despite dropping 3 catches, through Heslam, Chris Jackson and Bowlesie - we [...]

Reed romped home to their third maximum points win of the season with a solid all round team performance against a strong Old Camdonians side. Reed were put into bat and got off to the best possible start with Baz Curtis and James Heslam caressing the ball to all sides of the ground putting together an opening stand of 146, before Curtis fell for an impressive 74. The fall of Curtis did little to hamper young Heslam`s fine form, seeing him crash 3 sixes and 8 fours to reach his secound league century of the season. Heslam eventually fell for 111 with Reed declaring on 223 for 5. Old Camdenians fielded a strong batting side, and for times it looked like the win was in their sights. However an early break through made by Ian Roberts and the vital wicket of the impressive Aslam by Reed`s quickie Michael Berks put Reed into a advantageous situation. The thorn in Reed`s side was the immaculate innings of the opposition's opener Shquib who like his counterpart James Heslam notched a superb century to put his side into a winning situation. This saw the introduction of the inform Pete Tidey who picked up 4 of the Old Camdenions middle order wickets. Still going for the win, the opposition stretched the home side to their limit of which they responded with tight fielding and attacking bowling. Michael Berks eventually succeeded in getting Shquib for 110 Which saw the end to Ol;d Camdenians and accounted for another 30 points for home side. Reed skipper, Simon Jackson praised his players and their consistent performances; "in our last four games we have achieved 39 out 40 possible wickets, and scored well over seven [...]

Reed were unfortunate not to win against Millhillians despite a classy 118 from Chris Jackson. Jacksons score included 16 4s and was ably supported by James Heslam, Paul Watts, Will Clarke and debutant Richard Barlow. Reed amassed 232 in their 53 overs leaving them 47 overs to bowl out the opposition. The opening spell of bowling from Michael Berks and Will Clarke was a true spell of quality fast bowling. With Berks taking the first 2 wickets. However a hard hitting 79 from Doherty started to turn around the game into Millhillians favour. But a tight spell of swing bowling from Pete Tidey (2 for 35 off 14) saw the chance of victory disappear for the home side but Reeds strong bowling attack could not bowl out Millhillians on a good batting track and Reed had to settle for a draw