REED IIs fell to their first defeat of the season in disappointing fashion at the weekend.

Skipper Baz Curtis won the toss and decided to bat on an unknown wicket with rain in the air. This didn’t look a bad decision as Reed moved to 20-0 after the first four overs despite Gibberd extracting some very steep bounce from the wicket.

The rain came and the players went in and what looked like a short shower turned into an hour and twenty-minute delay.

Once the innings resumed, Curtis and Smith had moved the score to 25 before Smith got a top edge and was caught at a short fine leg. Curtis had survived two chances before he went for 22 – gloving a brute of a ball to gully.

Then came an awful collapse. 40-2 soon became 67-7. The only player to make double figures was Ed Garrott who looked in good form before being caught behind for 17.

William Clarke, on debut of the IIs, and in-form Sean Tidey, both began to put the innings back together. Clarke played some fine shorts through the covers and off his legs. Both managed to see off the opening attack and took a liking to the second string attack. They had put on 67 and looked solid before Clarke drove slightly in the air and was well caught low down in the covers. Old Chameleians catching was exceptional with hardly a chance going down.

With still eight overs left a half-decent target looked possible. Tidey continued to put the bad and good ball away including a lovely straight six in to the pavilion sightscreen. Unfortunately the ninth wicket fell quickly and Reed limped into the points 140-9, but a run-out with the younger Tidey while trying to protect his uncle from the bowling saw the latter run out and Reed 140 all-out.

Reed thought 140 might well be a challenge to the home side, but the visitors let their hosts get off to a flier and had soon knocked off the odd 40 despite Peter Tidey making an early break through. Tidey struck again when the score was on 51 and all-rounder Clarke then took a sharp caught and bowled to leave Old Chameleians 56-3. The rain returned to liven up the pitch again and young Mitchell Cooper had Hyslop caught for a duck. Reed thought they might have had a sniff at 78-4, but a fine 53 not-out by Millward saw the home team to victory by a comfortable six wickets.