Skipper Archer battles in vain
DESPITE four Jason Archer wickets, Reed seconds were disappointed to come away from their encounter with Old Cholmeleians with a draw. Captain Archer elected to bat first, and sent out Ben Bowles and Mark King to open the innings. And King wasted no time
DESPITE four Jason Archer wickets, Reed seconds were disappointed to come away from their encounter with Old Cholmeleians with a draw.
Captain Archer elected to bat first, and sent out Ben Bowles and Mark King to open the innings.
And King wasted no time in building the home side's total, giving the Old Boys' attack a torrid time.
Bowles also looked good, and helped King (60) move Reed's total towards 80, before the latter was forced to retire hurt.
The injury brought young all-rounder Ed Garrott to the crease, who in conjunction with the resilient Ben Bowles, continued to push the score beyond the 100- mark.
Bowles looked set for a half century, but he was out with the ball ricocheting off the wicketkeeper's pads on to the wickets after a swinging delivery for 38.
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The wickets of Garrott (21) and Ian Fulk (2) then followed, and Reed's good start was in danger.
Bowles then combined with Chris Shorrock, with Bowles plundering the Cholmeleians off spinner for six, while Shorrock picked up any short balls before expertly dispatching them to the midwicket boundary.
The pair took the score to more than 200, with Bowles making 34 before he was dismissed.
Shorrock made a classy 47 before he departed, while Karl Ward remained for an unbeaten 28, with Reed using their 53 overs and finishing on 249-6.
Cholmeleians then built some early momentum and took their chase towards 100, with Richard Robertson taking just one wicket.
However, the introduction of spin twins Garrott and Bowles soon swung the game back in Reed's favour, with Bowles taking two wickets with his well-flighted off spin.
Archer then joined in, using his wealth of experience to take three middle-order wickets, leaving Cholmeleians on 145-6 with the overs running out.
It was then Cholmeleians elected to bat out for a draw, and despite the best efforts of the Reed bowlers, only one more wicket went down, with wicketkeeper Steve Lovegrove taking a catch from Archer's delivery.
