Shenley Village have conceded in the National Village Cup match due to be played on Sunday. This means Reed will play either Long Marston or Eaton Bray on the 28th May on The Green in the 3rd Round. In the Herts League on Saturday, all of Reed's sides were depleted and they attempted to do the best they could. The 1sts travelled to Langleybury who posted 260 for 9, Toby Fynn 3 for 52 and Ian Osborne 3 for 56. Reed responded with 219 before being bowled out. Ed Wharton made 86 and Rob Lankester 35. On the Green, Reed 2nds relied heavily on Richard Barlow's 92 in reaching 173 all out. George Garrott helped with 28. Northampton Exiles lost wickets to Owen Hughes (2 for 38) and Jean-Marc Maujean (2 for 28) but still had sufficient in the tank to reach the target five down. "Fortress" Freman is losing its description quickly. Bearing the brunt of the absentees, MJE Baker lost the toss and his eight-player Third team was inserted and promptly dismissed for 70. Josh Conley slashed 21 and MJEB top-scored with 26. There were too many gaps to fill in the outfield and Welwyn Garden City romped home within 11 overs without losing a wicket. It was the 4th's scheduled gap week. It was just as well there wasn't a match because undoubtedly it would have been conceded through lack of players. Poor availability further caused the friendly fixture away to Chippenham on Sunday to be cancelled On Friday the Under 11s had their first CYCA League match. Based on net scores after beginning on 200, Reed's youngsters scored 64 but lost 9 wickets thus reducing their total by 45 runs to [...]

Two wins and two losses on Saturday. The 1sts beat Sawbridgeworth by 64 runs with Stuart Smith contributing an invaluable 59 then Ed Wharton taking 3 for 23. A nailbiting final over saw the 2nds overhaul Northwood Town's 217 with just 2 wickets in-hand. Richard Johnson and Matt Sampson were Reed's main run scorers. The 3rds posted 161 at Aldenham versus West Herts. Runs came from Paul Garrott (43), Owen Hughes (33) and MJEB (33). The hosts ran-out victors with 7 wickets down although Rob Willoughby garnered 3 for 13 towards the end. Freman College was the scene of an embarrassing afternoon for the 4ths. Playing with just 9 fielders, Reed could not stop Old Haberdashers smashing 353 for 5. In less than 6 overs Reed had been anhialated for 20 all out! In Sunday's friendly against Woodcutters, Reed were probably 30 runs under par finishing their 40 overs on 173 for 9. Tom Greaves scored 43, James Sandford 39 and Mike Catt 33. Wickets weren't all that forthcoming as Woodcutters won comfortably by 6 wickets, two of them to Rhodri Hughes. On Thursday, the Under 13s smashed 126 in 16 overs without losing a wicket. They then had Broxbourne 82 for 4 at the close, winning by 44 runs. Expect match reports to follow. PGB

Reed were Langleyburied in their T20 encounter on Saturday at Hertford. Chasing Langleybury's total of 148, Reed failed to achieve significant partnerships as wickets fell regularly leaving them well adrift at 110 all out. Stuart Smith smote 26 and Richard Wharton made 25. Meanwhile, down in North London, a team under the auspices of the 4th XI played against Mayfield and although adrift by 118 runs at the end, they did manage to hold-on for a draw. Owen Hughes and Harry Hawes took 2 wickets each but Mayfield reached 211 for 7. Owen Hughes then made the top score of 29 when Reed replied with 93 for 8. Datchworth were dispatched without too much trouble on Sunday in the Village Cup. Toby Fynn, (2 for 28), Jack Tidey, (2 for 1), Karl Ward, (2 for 25), and Stuart Smith, (2 for 4), restricted the visitors to 70 all-out within 29 overs. Reed needed little more than half those overs to overhaul the target with Will Heslam 39 not out and Marcus Martin 25 not out at the crease when the winning runs were scored with 8 wickets in hand.

SATURDAY: Great for ducks! Cancelled because of the rain. SUNDAY: Not so many Ducks today; 1 on each side. For a bit of symmetry, there was also 1 ton on each side too. For Reed, who were chasing Waresley's 231 for 4, it was Mike Robertson's turn to notch-up a hard-hit hundred. MJEB scored 43 but amazingly this final match of the season ended in a tie. Expect a full Match Report to follow soon. PGB

SATURDAY: Rain affected most of the matches on the final Saturday of the Herts League. It was so widespread that out of a programme of 131 fixtures, more than 100 matches were rained-off during the afternoon. Added to that, a further 7 matches were conceded throughout the divisions. 1st XI: Home versus Chorleywood. Reed scored 193 all-out; Ed Wharton and Rob Lankester being the major contributors. The visitors' innings ended at 15 for 0. The Firsts finished 6th in the Championship Division. 2nd XI: Away versus Harpenden. Reed scored 167 all-out in a reduced innings of 35 overs; George Garrott got past 45, Matt Sampson and Phil Frenay scored 30s. The rain came when Harpenden were 75 for 3. After three consecutive promotions, the Seconds had to be satisfied with 5th place in Division 4B. 3rd XI: Away versus Old Elizabethans. Reed scored 113 all-out with Peter Baker battling it out for 33 and Mike Robertson hitting 34. Old Es lost a solitary wicket to Neil Haslam who returned figures of 5 overs, 3 maidens, 1 wicket for 8 runs as the hosts romped home by 9 wickets in 20 overs, and gaining a deserved promotion. For the Thirds it does mean relegation from Division 8A this season. 4th XI: Home versus Harpenden. Reed scored 190 for 9 in their 40 overs, 75 of them by Paul Garrott who was supported by Bill Mansfield. Harpenden replied with 115 for 3 but because they faced 21 overs before it rained, it constituted a match, thus giving them a victory on a faster run-rate. The Fourths ended the season in 4th position in the Regional Division B East. SUNDAY: Joe Graves passed 50 for the first time, [...]

SATURDAY: It went to the wire at The Green in the 1st XI match versus Flitwick. The visitors posted 246 for 7 of which Sean Tidey took 4 wickets. For Reed, James Heslam made a masterly eighty and Richard Wharton provided some impetus with a half-century but after a clatter of wickets, it was his brother, Ed, who had to get Reed over the line needing a dozen off the last over. Thankfully he did. One delivery went into the car park and the final ball bounced into the nettles and hasn't been seen since! The Second XI's trip to Broxbourne was cancelled. Reportedly, the pitch was too wet. Reed are left in 5th place in Division 4B. The Thirds, made-up mostly of 4th XI players, were outshone by relegation rivals Langleybury when they replied to the host's 265 for 4 with only 92 all-out. Jake Gifford had taken 2 of the Langleybury wickets then James Crouchman top-scored with 34. For the first time this season, there were not enough players to field four teams. Consequently the Fourth XI had to concede. They remain in 3rd position in the Division but are now unlikely to gain promotion. SUNDAY: Reed topped 300 on The Green when Rob Lankester scored 76, Tom Walsingham 56, Marcus Baker 52 and George Garrott 46. Camden responded with 200 all-out, 3 wickets each for Sam Rice and Tom Walsingham. Expect Match Reports to follow shortly. PGB

SATURDAY: It was a day for chasing which turned out to be 75% successful! Unfortunately, the 1st XI were the 25% unsuccessful portion. Having kept Hoddesdon to 191, four of the wickets to Toby Fynn, Reed's chase ended just 12 runs short at 179. Mitchell Cooper scored a fifty and Will Heslam 37. Back on The Green, Julien Fynn went one better than his brother by taking 5 Hertford wickets in their 192 for 9. Two of Reed's silkiest batsmen, Richard Johnson and Ed Garrott, then recorded half-centuries as the Seconds won by 8 wickets. There was a welcome victory up at Freman College when the Thirds overhauled St Albans' 154 all-out with 3 wickets intact. Zac Conley's 34 was top-score but Mike Robertson and Ben Moody chipped-in with twenties in their mission to avoid the "dreaded dotted line of demotion". Martin "Ton-up" Johnson broke records whilst compiling a third successive hundred in the 4th XI's fixture against Letchworth. All his centuries have been undefeated and this effort was supported by veterans Garrott, P and Baker, P, in using just 30 overs to chase-down Letchworth's mammoth 274 for 6. Whilst the wickets had been shared round, most satisfying were the two wickets deservedly taken by the persistent Steve Hughes. He bowled the high-scoring Pond for "only" 130 this time - in the previous encounter, Pond had scored 230. SUNDAY: Chasing runs again. Despite MJE Baker's 71, Reed's "Friendly" XI were all-out for 172 and were 95 runs behind at the end of the match against Ashwell. Ah well! Expect Match Reports to follow shortly. PGB.

SATURDAY: Not a day to write home about. The 1sts, 2nds and 3rds all lost although the 4ths won gloriously at Freman College! The Firsts at home to Langleybury managed only 97 all-out in reply to 173. James Heslam top-scored with 38 and Ed Wharton made 25 but it was all rather disappointing after Alex Mutucumarana had taken 5 visitors' wickets for 51. In the exchange fixture at Langleybury, Reed's 2nd XI could only muster a below par 112 which the hosts knocked-off with just 2 wickets down. Julien Fynn, Mike Catt and Phil Frenay were Reed's main contributors with the bat. The Thirds were outplayed at Harpenden by being ousted for 122 and not being able to take a wicket as they lost by 10 wickets. Mike Robertson made 31 and Paul Garrott 23 in the Reed innings. Old Owens batted first at the Freman Oval and lost just 4 wickets totalling 178 in their full quota of overs. Peter Baker (43) and Martin Johnson replied with an opening stand of 125 before Johnson saw it through to the end, reaching an undefeated 101 when the winning runs were scored. SUNDAY: Rhodri Hughes took 3 for 14 in Aston's innings of 169 for 9. After tea, Marcus Baker was not out 57 and Owen Hughes undefeated on 30 when the winning runs were scored with 5 wickets intact. Expect Match Reports to follow shortly. PGB

SATURDAY: A welcome win for the Firsts who regained the initiative after being 6 for 3 chasing Hemel Hempstead's 135 all-out. Chris Jackson scored a fifty backed-up by Alex Mutucumarana cracking thirty to win by 5 wickets. In the Hemel innings, Tom Greaves had taken four wickets. The match at Reed between the Seconds and St Albans went the other way. This time, Reed were bundled out for 134, joint top-scorers being Mike Catt and MJE Baker each with 29. St Albans lost only 3 wickets in knocking-off the target. At Freman, the Thirds did remarkably well by bowling Luton Town & Indians out for a below par 231. There were 2 wickets apiece for James Crouchman, Josh Conley and Brenden Salter. Unfortunately, Reed were dismissed within 23 overs for only 94; Crouchman top-scorer with 19. The Fourths had the better part of a draw versus Preston. Batting first, Reed reached 179 for 8 before declaring; Paul Garrott made 89 and Lloyd Bowman 23. Preston closed on 157 for 5; 3 of the wickets to that man again, Steve Hughes. Expect Match Reports to follow shortly. PGB