Skipper Marcus Martin took the bold decision and decided to bowl first after winning the toss. His decision look well vindicated as Tom Walsingham struck with the fifth ball of the innings bowling Wagstaff for a duck. Peter Tidey then picked up two more quick wickets leaving the visitors in trouble at 29-3. That soon became 46-5 when Rupert Martin replaced Walsingham from the pavilion end. He took 2-21 in 9 overs.A stand off 30 between Willoughby and Pearth stopped the rot. Both despatching anything loose to the boundary. Reed desperately needed a breakthrough as the rain clouds gathered. Tidey removed both Willoughby and Pearth. Pearth becoming his fifth victim.The players were driven from the field by thunder and lightning with the score 102-8 in the 35th over. The ground staff got the cover on just in time. With over an hour lost to rain and hail Ickleford were left with 6 overs to bat after tea. Time for Tidey to pick up one more wicket and finish with figures of 6-45 from 20 overs.Reed were left to chase 136 to win in 35 overs. Baz Curtis went early for just 8, but with the weight of his decision to chase Martin came to the wicket to make sure the decision was a correct one. He raced to 26 before being bowled with the score on 45. He made sure Reed were ahead of the required rate. Opener Phil Freney made 13 when he was caught in the deep trying to move the score along. Ed Garrott and Richard Johnson put on 45 in 11 overs, but with 41 still needed Johnson went for 24. Garrott looked in no trouble and put the bad ball [...]

Reed's 2nd XI were put into bat for the second week running and again scored maximum batting points. Phil Freney led the way with an almost chanceless 93. Freney has been in good form all season and this week scored his first 50 of the season.After coming through a good opening spell from Bonner and Mahachi. The latter taking 3-22 from his 7 overs. Reed could have been in trouble and at 53-3 the innings could have gone either way. Ed Garrott joined Freney and both looked in complete control. They had just put on 50 together when the half way drinks came and the score was 106-3. As is often the case drinks brought a wicket as Cragwell removed Garrott for 24.The rest of the side batted around Freney. Despite some hectic running at times he passed 50 and was marching towards his hundred. Roddi Liebenberg and Toby Fynn both chipped in with useful scores. Freney was finally removed for 93 with 6 overs left and 197 on the board. Only 3 needed for maximum points.Suddenly it was 9 down and still 3 needed. Peter Tidey along with younger brother Tim saw the visitors past 200, but Tidey was bowled for 9 and Holthwhite Trinibis had suddenly gained to extra overs to chase down 207.The home side look positive from ball one and the scoreboard was moving along nicely. It was Cambridgeshire over 50s all rounder Peter Tidey who made the breakthrough. He produced a snorter to Puessinow that just clipped the bail, bowling him for 13. Richardson was next to go, bowled by Fynn trying to hit the ball out of the ground.Skipper Marcus Martin produced a superb throw to run out Micaller [...]

Reed went into this match already assured of returning to Division 6 a year after being relegated. Hexton were also promoted, but the question of who would top the table was still up for grabs.Hexton won the toss and decided there best hope was to bowl Reed out and chase down the runs. Openers Baz Curtis and Phil Freney knew that it was vital Reed didn't lose early wickets and give the visitors an early lift.Reed and Buckas opened the attack for Hexton and both bowled a very good opening spell. The usually aggressive was restricted to just one boundary in his 10 over 7 while Frenay was equally circumspect. Curtis went in the 11 over when the score was on 23. This brought in Skipper Marcus Martin. Martin soon found the boundary the openers had trouble finding and the rate began to climb.The pair had just put on fifty when Andrews bowled Frenay for 22. Rob Lankaster in his first season with the club has had an excellent season at this level and looked in no trouble and had reach 19 in good time before being adjudged LBW. With just over 20 overs to go Reed were well placed at 105-3, but a few wickets now could have turned the match in Hexton's favour.Karl Ward had other ideas. He took a liking to Jetuwa hitting him for six. Martin and Ward added 73 in the next 15 overs to put the home side in touching distance of maximum batting points. Martin went for a fine 72 and Ward followed 5 runs later for 56, bowled by Ladla. Reed still have 7 overs left and it looked like they might post 240.Ladla was proving hard [...]

Returning skipper Marcus Martin won the toss and decided to bat first on what looked like another good Reed wicket. Reed lost an early wicket with the score on just 5 and Eversholt looked like they might be able to make more inroads. Brothers Fergus and Marcus Martin started the innings again and soon started to find the boundaries. Opposition skipper Lawson had to leave the attack with a groin injury after 5.3 overs and was replaced by Ling. Fergus Martin was bowled for 15 when the score reached 68 in the 20th over. Reed reached the half way stage still just two down and Skipper Martin had passed fifty. With wickets in hand they could look to accelerate.Martin was beginning to find the boundary regular and was well supported by Richard Johnson who scored a brisk 28. Martin was finally removed for 104 and the home side had moved to 168 for 4. Roddi Liebenberg joined Karl Ward and the pair didn’t hang around. With 13 overs left Reed were on 170 and they weren’t separated until they had put on 78 in just 8 overs. Liebenberg raced to 50 and with Michael Robertson who smashed a very quick 11, Reed declared at 260-5 in 50 overs. This gave the visitors 3 extra overs.Reed knew it was going to be hard to get all 10 wickets on a very flat wicket, but how would the opposition go about chasing 261? Stockdale fell early for 4 when he was LBW to Rupert Martin. Tom Walsingham produced another excellent opening spell and deserved a wicket. We was replaced by off spinner Fergus Martin. Martin using many of the variations he can bowl, managed to remove the [...]

Reed went top of Division 7 with an excellent all round display. In searing heat Skipper Phil Freney lost the toss and to the delight of his side were asked to field first. It was important that they got off to a good start and not have to chase the ball to all parts on a very fast outfield.Peter Tidey and Tom Walsingham opened the attack for the visitors and Tidey was soon into his stride. The batsman’s found him hard to score off and with Walsingham bowling equally well Reed started well. Walsingham struck the first blow bowling the Abbotts Langley skipper for 2. Then came what might have been the turning point of the match. Parkin called for a single to Michael Robertson at backward square, Smith wasn’t interested, but Parkin was halfway down the wicket. Robertson swooped on the ball and hit the non strikers end with Parkin not in the frame.From then on Reed were on top. After 20 overs the home side had limped to 64 with the loss of 3 wickets. Karl Ward replaced Rupert Martin and bowled an excellent 13 over spell. He removed Merritt for 22 just as he and Handoll looked like they might push on. Agius joined Handoll and the pair decided enough was enough and they needed to attack. Agius batted better than his number 8 position and with some lusty blows raced to 34. Suddenly it looked like Reed could be chasing over 200. That was a least a par score on this pitch. Agius was now full of confidence and tried to hit Ward out of the attack. He targeted long on, but Walsingham was there to take a good catch.Reed could [...]

Reed’s 2nd XI lost their first league of the season to fellow promotion chasing Codicote. Skipper Marcus Martin won the toss and decided to bat first. Reed got off to a disastrous start losing 4 wickets for just 19 runs, two wickets a piece for Day and Darraji. Rob Lankaster and Marcus Martin set about putting the innings back together. They both settled in and saw off the consistent Darraji. Both put the bad ball away and also started to attack. Lankaster in particular not frightened to hook when needed. The pair had put on 73 when Darraji returned to remove Martin for a very fluent 33. Darraji then took 3 more quick wickets to leave Reed in all sorts of problems. From a decent 92-5 suddenly it was 99-9 when Lankaster was strangled down the leg side for a top scoring 38.Alex Kelly and Jack Caine weren’t about to give up. Darraji had taken 6-8 in 13 overs, but the pair decided to attack. With 17 overs still to go and 41 needed for a batting point it looked like the home side would be chasing a very low score with lots of overs to get it. Kelly looking like a true Aussie tailender and Caine looking much better than his number 11 position, the pair chipped away. Both managed to find the boundary from time to time, but with some good running they not only got past 140, but also to the next batting point of 155.Kelly was 23 not out and Caine hit an excellent 29. Reed set the home side 157 to win. They were probably about 50 light, but a good bowling display could still them get a good result.Karl [...]

On Saturday, Reed ll's started life in Saracens Division 7 with a draw at home to a dogged Botany Bay ll's. Reed lost the toss and were asked to bat. Openers William Heslam and Phil Frenay got off to a solid start and both were finding the boundary regularly. Heslam in particular looked in fine fettle considering it was the first time he had picked up a bat this year. The pair moved reed along to 60 before Frenay was caught and bowled by McCabe for 22. This brought newly appointed captain Marcus Martin to the crease. Along with Heslam, he found the boundary on regularly occassions looking for any gap in the field, particularly peppering the 3rd man boundary with a devastating late cut. Heslam brought up his 50 and never looked troubled. Martin also brought up his 50 and continued to push on as the run rate accellerated. The pair took the score past 200 before Martin bought up his century. A fine knock, which was fluent,classy and one that clearly meant a lot to the new skipper. Heslam soon joined Martin in the 100 club, after hanging around in the 90s for a while, he made it to a chanceless 100. Heslam added just 1 more run however before he holed out trying to up the run rate. A few late boundaries from Martin (119*) and some good running from Karl Ward (4*), saw Reed to an impressive 258-2 Declared in 44 overs. McCabe was the pick of the Botany Bay bowlers in a tough start to the season for their bowling attack.After tea, Reed opening the bowling with the burly Jack Tidey and Rupert Martin. Tidey in particular looked dangerous, beating [...]